Nittle Grasper: Beginnings
by Vampykitty-kun
Summary: Tohma struggles... torn between Ryuichi and Mika, while trying to keep his father at bay, and the band together. Meanwhile, Ryuichi knows all too well that at some point, all good things must come to an end. Friendship. Lies. Love. Betrayal.
1. Chapter 1: The Funeral

Well, I've yet again decided to restart this fic, but not in the normal way. I'm using everything that was written before, but having it done over by a beta - anitarealitycheck - and adding a whole lot to what was originally there to help further later plot. So for now, future chapters will be postponed until further notice, but do not fear, things will start back up again in no time! I wouldn't dream of letting this fic go, when I have so many later chapters already written, lol.

I'm unsure of how many of you can actually review my reposts due to not being able to review a chapter twice, but those of you who can, please do! For those of you who can't, feel free to private message me if you'd like!

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CHAPTER 1

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The darkened sky only made the dreadful mood seem ever the more gloomy. Rain trickled down from the sky, not so much that you were getting drenched, but enough to warrant umbrellas and another source of irritation for the day. Matching the weather and the mood around, all were dressed in black as the care taker droned on and on in front of the large crowd.

Tohma couldn't help but stare at the casket being lowered into the ground. Its future was only that of being another gleaming white headstone among the others stretching out across the field. He turned his attention to the man at his side who hadn't spoken a word in hours, days, if nods and grunts weren't considered language. He was doubtful that any condolence he could give would pull his friend out of his depressed state.

He couldn't blame him in the slightest.

He'd been there before…losing his mother. It was not an event one was able to overcome easily. He'd been so very young when it had happened, but even so, he remembered the event vividly. He only remembered due to being at such an impressionable age.

Noriko stood on the other side, makeup smeared from the tears that still flowed freely from her eyes. They'd both known Shinya's mother well, she had been a very kind woman and it was a loss for all three of them when she had passed.

The casket lowered to its destined depth with a sharp click, and Shinya visibly flinched but his shoulders stayed tense thereafter.  
They accompanied Shinya home, where he shuffled through the door incoherently towards the kitchen. Tohma and Noriko watched him from the door way, and witnessed him suddenly change course and veer towards the bathroom. Noriko gasped, and Tohma quickly ran in after him. Shinya collapsed in front of the porcelain basin and nearly threw his head in as he retched violently. Tohma held his long jet black hair back out of his face.

The man panted and washed his mouth out, letting Tohma walk him over to the couch where he placed his head between his knees. Noriko appeared at this side and slipped a beer can into a limp hand.

"Drink…it'll help you sleep Shin…" She murmured.

He chugged the can down greedily and Tohma winced. He himself had never been one for holding his liquor, and while Shinya was more than capable, in his exhausted state he was sure the man would be hit hard by it.

"Shin… you shouldn't..." Tohma murmured, resting a hand on the man's shoulder.

An awkward silence followed, and continued for several minutes before Shinya shattered the calm.

"I'm quitting the band." Shinya rasped.

Tohma froze, and Noriko's eyes widened, new tears escaping them.

"But…but why! Why would you want to stop doing the one thing you love? The only thing still going good for you right now?" The blonde gasped, as a sharp jab to the ribs followed, courtesy of the brunette at his side.

Shinya raised his head and gazed at them sadly, shaking his head.

"It's… not that I truly want to, but I see there being no other choice. I'll have to pick up more hours… My brothers are with their aunt at the moment, until I can get things settled, but that's not permanent, nor would I ever ask it to be. I have to support them now... As much as I want to drink myself away and morn myself to death, I have to be strong for them. They don't have either parent now; I'm all they've got." He sighed, and whipped the can across the room, hitting the walk with a metallic thump. "It's hardest for them, having just lost our father last year. It's true… I'm giving up my dream, and I'm sure I'll always regret this decision, but this is something I have to do."  
"Shin…"Noriko whined in sympathy, but seemed unable to voice herself after.

Tohma stared at the ground.

In all honesty, there was nothing they could do. Shinya was doing the proper thing, no matter how much it hurt. Once Shinya's mind was made up, it was made up. That's how it had always been. The future of Nittle Grasper hung on by mere threads, and it would be up to him to save it, no matter the cost.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma flinched as a loud ringing filled his ears, courtesy of the alarm clock at the side of his bed. He glared at the annoyance in hatred, as though it was a hated enemy of his... and truth be told, it was...

Tohma had always had trouble sleeping, insomnia you may call it, and such things as the alarm clock were considered necessary, but evil...

He groaned, and lay there silently.

The previous day seemed like only a blur, a fleeting memory. He recalled the funeral, recalled trying to console Shinya, but could only really focus on the fact that his best friend had done the unthinkable. He had quit the band, their pride and passion. It was as if the world was crashing down around him. The band was his only sense of a normal life. Although Nittle Grasper had only been created two short years ago, it had already become the sole motivation for putting up with reality. Had it not been for the band, life would have quickly become drab.

The pressure that his father put on him was overbearing, and although he loved his step mother dearly, she was never fully on his side. He had to admit, choosing sides when it's your husband, and your step son involved was difficult. She had her own child to worry about as well. Being destined as the next head of the Seguchi family was not something he enjoyed. He'd have much rather been the second child, free to do as he pleased so long as he remembered to never dishonor his namesake, but alas that was not meant to be.

He'd known Shinya for years, his father having been good friends with his own. The family had money, not nearly as much as his own, but that entitled them their respect. Shinya was two years older than him... they'd gone to school together throughout the years, separated for only short periods of time. They'd been best friends as far back as he could remember.  
When Shinya had been nearing the end of high school, they'd decided to take their spare time and do something worthwhile. He had always been good with a piano. He'd taken to it almost naturally as a young child. His mother had hired an instructor early on. Throughout his schooling, he'd won several competitions. Shinya had decided that it was best to play to their strengths, and thus Nittle Grasper went underway. With piano as his talent, Tohma began to experiment, even going as far as to adopt an old keyboard, moving on from the classical sounds of the grand piano to something far more synthetic.

Shinya, on the other hand, revealed a talent not yet seen by the blonde... singing.

Shinya had never looked the talkative type, and he'd surprised their teachers time after time, by being one of the most talkative students. Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised Tohma so much that he could put his wind pipes and lung power to better use.

After some time, Tohma had purchased a synthesizer to accompany his keyboard, and soon, he'd mastered both new additions. As the school year came to a close, Tohma and Shinya continued to develop their music, and started writing their first songs.

When Tohma had returned to school the following semester, the band became something strictly for weekends, and infrequent after school practices. Although this time had strained the band, they'd still kept working hard. It was this year, which they had met their final addition to the band, or rather Tohma had.

Noriko Tokai was a transfer student, a first year. The school had always been a private academy, made up of the children of business men, and big names. Most of the attending students had known each other, and one another's families their whole lives, and if not, their entire education. At times, the odd ball appeared, having just moved in from another country, but they were still big names.

Noriko was the exception.

Noriko's family had recently moved into the area from the Akita prefecture. Her father had only recently come into money, a well-developed idea hitting it big with the public. New money, they called it. She stepped onto the school grounds, and was immediately the talk of the academy.

She was smart, very smart... and beautiful, to say the least. She was unrefined, greatly so. She spoke improper, used slang to its full potential. Her hair was fair, a lighter brown than the norm, and her eyes were a deep blue. To be honest, very few of the attending students had foreign blood, and in most, it came directly from a parent, rather than generations past. For the new girl, an outsider, this only made her stand out more.

He'd never been able to pin point what had drawn him to her... perhaps it had been because she was an outsider like himself? Growing up with fair skin, blonde hair, and sapphire eyes had never been easy, and had it not been for his name, he would of had problems. It was true that the academy had several mixed students, but seldom were they as different as him. There were those that were Chinese, Korean, even Vietnamese... there were several students that had come from parents of Japanese/Russian decent... but Tohma had always been outside the norm, the only blonde, the only one who truly looked different.

His father had always viewed the Europeans as exotic... he was attracted to their ways, their decor, and their women... His mother had been French, a business man's daughter. They had had him early in life, and she'd passed away when he'd barely turned four. Car accident... she had never fully recovered. His father had almost immediately remarried... his true mother's cousin. He would likely never know if the man had simply been fond of both women at the same time, or if he had just looked for a replacement for him... so he could be raised by two parents. The irony was his mother's cousin look so much like him, that no one dared question it. People assumed that she was his real mother, and no one corrected them.

He'd accepted this new mother with open arms, still did. Even if she wasn't truly his mother, she was the closest thing he'd have in his biological mothers place.

But regardless of how or why, he and Noriko had hit it off immediately, and the girl seemed more than pleased to be his new friend. Despite their differences, not only in status and looks, but in age, they quickly became inseparable.

Tohma smiled weakly as the memories flooding back, but kept his eyes squeezed shut.

Noriko had come to his school, never even dreaming that she would have the talent he'd seen. At first, she'd simply been curious about the instruments, but after having her toy around with the piano, he had seen just how much of a natural she was...and then the lessons started.

Shortly after, he'd introduced Noriko to Shinya, and thus, Nittle Grasper was completed.

In no time at all, Noriko was beating out music nearly as well as he himself, and they'd written several songs together. In just two years, they had managed to create their own happiness... they had played several shows, and became popular with their peers, for reasons other than money, or family names.  
It was amazing that a few short days, two years of hard work were seemingly erased.

He shook his head and tried to push the depressing thoughts into the back of his head. There was no need to dwell on things his morning mind couldn't handle and understand fully.

It was only seven in the morning, and more sleep after the depressing, tear filled night would have been beneficial for him, but Noriko, being the deepest sleeper in the world, had demanded the previous night that he spend the day with her, the ENTIRE day, to get his mind off of the problems at hand... and unfortunately for him, Noriko had always been very fortunate, and was known to be fully rested and functional at the crack of dawn.

Much to his displeasure.

He sighed in defeat as he lay against his pillows. With a regretful groan, he slid his feet out from under the warm covers onto the cold wooden floor. He shivered unconsciously and gripping the wall, he shuffled into the bathroom to take a shower, and ready himself for the day.

The hot water rained down his face and exhausted body, massaging him and drenching his shaggy platinum hair, slicking it to his pale face. However, just as he began lathering the shampoo into his hair, a loud booming arose, and he tried desperately to pretend the sudden pounding at the front door did not indeed exist.

Noriko could wait.

If the girl could come over, demanding him to get up and out of the house on only two or so hours of sleep, she could sit and wait as long as he pleased. With a sigh, he slid his conditioner filled hands through his hair, taking in the last few fleeting moments of soothing water. He rinsed, and put off the inevitable no longer. He groaned loudly as the pounding grew louder, and he slid out of the privacy of the bathroom, a sheet of steam escaping through the opened door with him. He had been trying to ignore the indecent racket for the past few minutes, but Noriko clearly wasn't going to give up on being let in.

He began to towel dry his hair as he walked to his dresser.

Truthfully, he didn't feel like going anywhere with Noriko... He really just wanted to go back to sleep, and forget about all plans. He was still exhausted from such little sleep, and Shinya abandoning them (he had to force himself to remember the man had no choice)... and if all of the wasn't reason enough, he still had Mika to deal with.

Despite having been dating for years, they were still on and off, and they had gotten into a fight with one another, again, over the phone, again, two weeks ago...and she had yet again, broken up with him.

He was drained, and too worried about life to concentrate on simple things.

"How long will it be this time? Last time she held out for a month..." he grumbled, drifting off into thoughts of his stubborn, currently EX-girlfriend.

He wasn't really worried, this happened every few months or so and it was nearly routine by now. It wouldn't matter in the end. Their parents already wanted them to get married. Demanded it really... and families being traditional, if they tried to leave each other for good, they'd force it under the clause of an arrange marriage. It was easier not to fight it; after all, they loved each other, right?

He sighed and quickly threw his neatly pressed clothes on before tossing himself down upon his bed once more. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and rested his head on it, burying his face in the plushness.

Life was beginning to be one big head ache.

He frowned and crinkled his brow, the frustration of the lack of productivity of his life running through his head once again.

"If you keep doing that you're likely to get frown lines before you're thirty." Noriko huffed, glaring down at him.

Evidently. She had learned, rather suddenly, how to pick locks.

"Great, more bad news... Just don't rob anyone for the thrill of it please, you delinquent." he muttered, shaking his head. "Be lucky you don't rub off on me, I couldn't handle your bad habits..." He smiled up at her weakly.

She smirked, dismissing his comment.

"It's alright to be frustrated, but you should keep focused... We'll never find someone new if we're sitting on our asses at our apartments doing nothing. You have to be patient. We'll find the right person to replace Shin in time, and we'll eventually come to love him just as much. There's bound to be somebody out there that isn't self-centered and money craved that'll do it for the music like Shinya had, but for now, at least blow off some steam and have some fun!" She chuckled, watching in amusement as he glared at her.

"I know that! I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all... You shouldn't be so worried about me, and worry more about yourself. At least I have something to fall back on if the band never comes together again, you however, do not... I don't exactly see you working for your father. You should be the one worrying. Me? I'll be fine and happy when I'm not on a new wild goose chase and dealing with an angry Mika." He groaned, leaning back into the soft covers of the bed.

Noriko giggled, and shook her head.

"Is that so Tohma? Let me guess, you and Mika went at it again and you two split like always?" She grinned, raising her eyebrow. "I'll take your silence as a yes. When? And why didn't you tell me? Why didn't SHE tell me? Do you two ALWAYS have to be so secretive?" She grumbled, sitting down beside him.

You'd think she'd be more sympathetic.

"Yeah, well... you over react. My real concern is Nittle Grasper... I've worked too hard to give up on it now, but everything seems so against me... It just... gets to me. You know? And there's nothing I can do for Shinya, and I know it's not his fault." He smiled at Noriko sadly.

She nodded and hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm in the same boat as you, remember? Nittle Grasper was the three of us before Shinya quit. Now it's just the two of us... I've never experienced that. We're in this together now Tohma. Now, on a brighter note, let's get some breakfast, then do a few hours' worth of shopping and searching, and then you can do what you want... I've been wanting some quality time with you for a while now, and I'm not missing my chance by sitting on a bed with you sulking." She laughed, leaping from the bed.

He only had a few moments to prepare himself before she was yanking him to his feet.

"Noriko! Please!" He yelped, rubbing his shoulder with his free hand.  
She only laughed, grabbing his wallet off of the counter, and dragged him out the door into the outside world.

"Sorry Tohma, you haven't got a choice my friend..."

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Please let me know what you think!

Chapter 2 will be replaced shortly, as soon as possible, never fear!


	2. Chapter 2 and 3 for now

For now, 2 and 3 are in the same file. When 2 is replaced, 3 and 4 will be suddenly together...sorry for the confusion. This is NOT the repost, just a fixing of my errors...

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CHAPTER 2

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Tohma sighed in relief as he collapsed onto his soft bed. He had been longing for it since he left it early this morning. It was hard to believe that Noriko could possibly amuse herself as long as she had. He had of course had not enjoy a single moment of the day...

"A FEW hours of shopping huh? Hah!" Tohma laughed half-heartedly, glaring at the clock with disgust.

He had left with Noriko at 8:30 in the morning, and it was now almost 8:30 at night! She had dragged him around on her little shopping quest for damn near twelve hours!

She was ridiculous!

His feet ached, and he was rather sure he'd find blisters waiting for him once he took his shoes and socks off. He hadn't even bothered slipping them off at the door. Any dirt tracked in could wait until tomorrow. Noriko had dragged him into countless stores, many of which had clothes or other merchandise that was not in the slightest co-ed, so he's been barraged by bright colors, and sick amounts of pink as she hopped through one sliding door after another. Then, as that hadn't been tiring enough for him, she had pulled him into the movie theater last second, and forced him to sit through a movie. Was he forced to endure a mushy gushy romance films, like most girls would have gone to see? No, of course not. As, when had Noriko ever been normal? No, she'd dragged him in to watch a 2 hour and 15 minute Zombie flick with far too much gore to even be remotely realistic. Large amounts of blood, tearing flesh, and extraordinarily disgusting, deformed, and incredibly terrifying zombified humans had not done his stomach well after such a shot night's sleep. That, and he was fully convinced he'd not be getting much more sleep tonight either after such a display. He had a hard time falling asleep unmedicated without night terrors.

All he had simply really wanted to do today was sleep! Had that been so much to ask? He sighed. Of course it was. It was Noriko, one hell bent on cheering him up, but using all the wrong methods.

He glanced at the clock once more and took in a large gulp of air.

'At this time, I might as well just go to sleep later and go out now...' his eyes narrowed. Taking Noriko's advice for Shinya, perhaps having a drink or 2 would knock his senses down enough to get some quality sleep.

He groaned, and slung his shoe clad feet over the side of his bed once mor for the day, and with a heavy sigh, he shuffled over to his closet for a change of clothes. There was no way that he was going to a club in the clothes that he had gone shopping in... He had worn them all day in the heat... by rights, he already felt like he should shower before hand, but with his lucked he'd pass out under the hot water, and fall and crack his head open. Last thing he needed was a needlessly prolonged stay in the emergency room. Not only that, but it would do him no good to show up in a night club, dressed as though he'd just tossed anything on (although that was pretty close to what he'd done during Noriko's non stop pounding on the door). He needed something more lively...what if he happened to get lucky, I see someone worthy in musical ability? Not that he was counting on it, but better prepared than not.

Throwing on a sleeveless skin-tight black turtle neck, along with tight blue jeans, he dashed to the door and grabbed his fur trimmed black trench.

He turned around and glanced in the mirror quickly before grabbing his hat and running out the door to his car.

He figured that he wouldn't stay at the club too long...He had never been able to hold his alcohol too well, despite the wine at home with his parents throughout the years. A drink or 2 would be it, just enough to make him drowsy enough to fall asleep once he lay back down in bed after returning home.

He'd just stay long enough to have some fun and keep his mind off finding a new bandmate, and long enough to just enjoy the music. It was always fun to watch and listen to the local bands that were trying to get themselves heard, and there was always the hope that someone would be looking for a band...

Tohma mentally kicked himself, hard, for thinking too hard about his problems once again.

"This could very well be a stressful night..." He grumbled.

The sooner he got there, the sooner he could be at peace...

A few blocks later, he pulled out front of his destination, and the music could already be heard coming from the interior of the building through it's opened door. The bass boomed loudly, and he already felt some of his stress slipping away. It had indeed been a good decision to come tonight.

He smiled.

It was his escape.

He slammed the car door shut and slid over the hood as he dashed into the building happily. He immediately headed towards the bar, smiling at the bartender that knew him well.

He sighed contently as he slid down into the nearest stool and stretched as the man came to serve him.

"Ah! Seguchi-san! It's been a while! You haven't been in for a few weeks now, I was starting to worry that you'd never come back to listen!" The man grinned as Tohma reached for his wallet.

"You know me... I work myself to death. I've been really, really busy compared to usual. Shinya's mother died, she'd been quite sick, hadn't wanted to trouble anyone with it and kept it quiet. It hit her fast before anyone knew what was up, and now Shinya's a complete wreck. He quit the band to take care of the younger siblings, all of them are rather young. I've been struggling in my mind to look for a new singer, even though I want to believe he'll call me up laughing, saying everything was going to be alright and that he was coming back, but I know it's pointless to wish for it. He's always been rather family centered. I finally decided that I seriously needed to take a break or I'd go insane. I've been lost sleep over it..." Tohma sighed as the bartender placed a shot of sake in front of him with a heavy sigh.

The bartender shook his head sadly..

"So, what do you plan to do tonight? There's quite a large handful of new people, plan to meet them?" The man chuckled.

"I suppose... but I plan on pretty much drinking myself silly without making myself sick, and drowning myself in the music." Tohma laughed half heartedly at the alarmed look on the bartenders face. He knew the 'Don't drink TOO much...' far too well. " Don't worry, I need a good night's rest tonight, I can't stay long, or have too much to drink. I'd prefer the comfort of my bed tonight rather than the comfort of the toilet and cool white tile of the floor." The bartender still gave him a weary look, and then left once again to tend to the other guests.

Tohma listed to the band ending on stage. The music had stopped half way into their conversation, and they were saying their goodbyes as the dragged their equipment from the stage. Club staff began to put Instruments belonging to the building on sage and they set themselves up. Tohma cocked his head in curiosity. It wasn't every day that the workers got on stage. Usually only holidays. It became silent one moment for then next musical entertainer to prepare themselves. Tohma drank his second shot quickly as only one male figure jumped onto the stage. The man (perhaps about his age, possibly younger) walked up to the men waiting patiently on stage, and handed each individual a small stack of sheet music.

By this point, all of Tohma's attention was on the lone male. With his dire need of a new vocalist, as soon as possible, a bandless new face was worthy of observation. It would turn out to be too good to be true, but it wasn't as though he had anything to loose. He was going to hear the man sing regardless I he watched, so why not enjoy it fully?

So he listened, waiting for everyone on stage to get their act together.

The bartender came back to Tohma, leaning against the bar. He followed Tohma's gaze to the stage and nodded knowingly.

"That's one of new the guys that's been coming in. His name's Ryuichi. He apparently moved here from one of the other islands, can't remember exactly which one. He's a great singer, not nearly that confident though. Everybody loves him. He seems so deep, but you know me. I end up knowing everybody's life story in here. I guess I'm too social, but he's worshiped like a god around here now. That's why the staffers don't mind playing for him. He sung for a few night acapella, but people were raving for some tunes behind that voice of his. Although he's generally liked, a few people know different... He tends to come in here, sing, get smashed, and leave with some random person each time. Poor guy...he's quite lonely, but every time he leaves with someone, they avoid him like the plague the next time they see him. I don't blame them really. He can get quite strange after a few, but who doesn't? Heck, you've gotten quite wild in here before even. I don't suppose you remember thinking the owner's current mistress at the time was your mother, righ-"

"Okay, this isn't pick on Tohma night, lay off!" He whined...Honestly, sometimes he wished he didn't only go to one club...that way he could get away from random mishaps that had occurred. The bartender had the memory of an elephant...

The man raised his hands in defense.

"I'm just saying Tohma...Well, regardless, I'm not sure if he's like that only because he's drank too much, or if he's got some personal issues, but his mood can change like that!" He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

"Really..." Tohma sighed.

Everyone was different, it was just that some people were less excepting of others...Although the sudden stories had him less excited to see the bandless singer. They'd gone through a few nut cases before Shinya had come into their lives.

Tohma watched closely as the guy named Ryuichi walked up to the microphone and tapped it.

He seemed satisfied with the echoed ringing it made and took a deep breath.

"Hello everyone! It's great to be back here again!" he smirked and turned to the band to signal them to start playing.

They weren't bad... considering that the band had, had only a few moments to look over the music. They really seemed quite ready. It was true, he hadn't been by in quite a while, perhaps they really did play for him enough to know him by now. The beat was catchy, despite not being completely furnished. He could tell that this Ryuichi had the gist of music writing, but hadn't spent nearly as much time on it as the lyrics. The intro finished quickly, and soon, he had jumped into song.

I know I need to say what's on my mind

It's just, the words I can't find

It's the best feeling that you can keep

Someone, a sweet poetry that'll make you your heart leap

Ahhh wooooh...

I feel like I'm almost touching you

My skin brushing up against yours too

Your soft touch and gentle kiss,

My mind's barrier opened

I find it's only you I ever miss!

Ryuichi slunk across he stage, the band having a little solo moment behind him. He brushed his hair away from his face and smiled behind him at the guitarist to his right before turning back toward the crowd..He was enjoying himself.

This song I sing, It's just for you

Your half shut eyes carry a lonesome tune

You can make my chest flutter

And my heart throb for you

You don't know you want me

But I know I want you

You tell me I'm different,

But I only do what I need to

The song broke out into just instrumental once more, and Ryuichi wiped the sweat from his forehead. Tohma stared up at the stage with wide eyes.

The guy's voice was magnificent! He was very pleased that he'd not gone and suffered in bed with sleep evading him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi glanced down at the crowd. They were all cheering and calling out to him with worship.

It made him happy.

He couldn't help it, it just felt great! He took another quick glance around since the music segment was coming to an end, and suddenly locked eyes with Tohma.

He blinked.

He hadn't seen the blonde before. He'd seen pretty much the same people night after night, so a new face was interesting to see. He found the newcomer odd. This guy wasn't calling out to him, cheering him on, or yelling out to get him off stage, he was just watching in awe with wide eyes, silent in amazement. Ryuichi made a note to speak with this one after the show.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma stiffened.

He hadn't meant to keep staring at the singer on the stage, but he had, and it now seemed as though he'd been caught. The guy was staring straight at him and smirking, as if he knew something was up. He mentally winced. Last thing he wanted to do as a first impression was come off rude, He glance to his right, and was disappointed to see the bartender at the far opposite end of the bar. Sighing in defeat, he resumed in watching Ryuichi..

Ryuichi kept his eyes locked on Tohma's as he finished up the song. He'd gotten to most of the crowd. His song seemed to be reaching everyone in the building. A goal he'd set out to complete..

I wish I could be in your arms

And feel your truly strong embrace

Fearing no confrontation, and no harm

And finding how fast our hearts will race

I can't face it

I know I want this

Can you feel this?

It rocks my heart...

I watch you out in the crowd

And even though we're still apart

I feel like I'm almost touching you

My skin brushing up against yours too

Your soft touch and gentle kiss

It's only you that I'll miss!

A smile on my face, and a song in my heart,

And a lonesome stranger's sweet embrace!

Ryuichi bowed as he ended and the large crowd of people in the club cheered. He grinned and grabbed his music, thanking the band that had kindly played for him, before bounding off stage and running towards the bar and Tohma, much to the blonde's despair. Tohma waved down the bartender, not caring he was at the other end of the bar any longer, and the man paled as he reached Tohma.

"Remember Seguchi-san...This'll be your fourth shot... are you sure you want another? You said you weren't going to make yourself ill, and you know how you get..." Tohma nodded in response and forcefully slid his glass towards the guy. The man sighed and walked off with it shaking his head sadly. Ryuichi bounded up quickly, and jumped onto the stool beside Tohma's.

"Mr. Bartender!" He called out to him. The man looked up from filling his glass and stared. He felt the impending problem arising already just by seeing where the young man sat. He understood Tohma's sudden change of heart sympathetically. "I'll have one of whatever he's having!" Ryuichi smiled, pointing at Tohma.

This was going to be a long night, the man decided...

Ryuichi grinned and turned to Tohma as the bartender somewhat unwillingly came back with both of their drinks. Ryuichi reached fr his own, and the bartender grasped his arm, causing Ryuichi to jump.

"Ryuichi, if you get as bad as last time I'll have to cut you off... You started to scare people... I can't have you disturbing the other customers, it's bad for business."

"Uh, huh..." Ryuichi mumbled and waved the bartender away.

The man shook his head and walked away, making sure to keep the two in his sight. He already knew what would be coming, and he prepared himself for it, having his own drink as he watched from a distance.

"So, you liked my song?" Ryuichi asked Tohma as they simultaneously drank their drinks.

"Hmm?" Tohma looked up and stared at him, tracing the rim of the small glass with his finger.

"Strong stuff..." Ryuichi smiled, nodding. " I asked if you liked my song."

"Oh! Yes, yes I did. Quite a lot actually." Tohma yawned and looked back at him. Perhaps the bartender had been right to warn him about continuing his consumption... perhaps a taxi would be smart...

Ryuichi chuckled.

"I kinda figured. You were staring at me wide eyed the whole time. I'm not used to such deep observation. Thankfully, it didn't bug me in the slightest." He smiled. Tohma squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh... I was? I'm so sorry...I apologize for making you uncomfortable?" Tohma blushed and rubbed his temples. Yes...a cab would be in order...

"No, as I said, didn't bug me in the slightest. It was the opposite. I like it when people enjoy what I do. That's why I come here. I just stumbled in here one night when they had Karaoke and everyone loved my voice. I've been here every few nights or so since then." He smiled as Tohma relaxed some. " Oh! I'm Ryuichi Sakuma by the way. Just call me Ryuichi! Anything else sounds too formal, so don't Sakuma-san me please. Took a week to get the bartender to stop." He continued to smile as he re-hailed said bartender again for another drink.

The man nearly toppled backwards out of his stool in horror. This was going to get bad...he just knew it...Someone was going to go off their rocker, get sick, or start a fight...any of which was fully possible for either young man...

"Well, I'm glad that I didn't disturb you then. That's good... I'm Tohma. Tohma Seguchi. Call me what you like, I'm not particular."

Ryuichi smiled brightly.

"Tohma it is then!"

Tohma raised an eyebrow, and continued. "I'd like to talk to you about something, if you're interested of course." Ryuichi leaned forward and propped his head up in his hands.

"Really? Well, hit me." The grin never left his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

CHAPTER 3

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma groaned as the sun began to leak through the small gap in the curtains of his window.

"Uhg... my head..." he winced and covered his head with his pillow, not even wanting to think of what time it could possibly be.

He sighed and desperately clung to his pillow, warding off his strong coming headache and sun. How much had he had to drink? He had the slightest feeling that he didn't want to know... He grumbled to himself and shifted, trying to bring sleep to him once more. The headache that had been coming showed no signs of stopping to allow him back to sleep though. He faked it is long as possible, until the familiar loud pounding at the front door began.

Noriko...only explanation...

Had he made plans with her? He couldn't remember...but after their long day together, he sincerely doubted it. She probably wanted to keep him as preoccupied as possible so he didn't have to think about the stress and headaches that would be coming with getting a new singer... His best interests at heart he was sure...but it didn't mean he was pleased with it...

He heard his front door slam and he automatically knew that Noriko had finally let herself in once again, like the previous morning. He groaned silently, praying she'd at least have the heart not to scream at him. She was probably wanting to kidnap him for another 'fun' filled day at a few shopping centers.

Again...

She would not like to hear that he would not be up for it...

Her quick footsteps could soon be heard making their way towards the room and he winced.

There was no way he was going ANYWHERE today...she couldn't MAKE him...well...sorta...

Tohma was at least able to convince himself that he had to look on the bright side...at least it was Sunday and she'd be back at school the following day... and he'd be free to do as he pleased outside of work rather than following her around.

Tohma gave a defeated sigh as Noriko flung open the bedroom door and invited herself in.

"Tohma!" She whined immediately. Tohma squeezed his eyes shut and hugged his head. "You're STILL in bed? What's your problem-" Noriko paused and stared into the darkness at Tohma, squinting to see in the dark room.

She was confused really...

She blinked as she reached for the light switch, flicking it on.

She stared on, at loss for words...

Momentarily...

"Tohma..." she gulped, seeming to ready herself. Tohma froze at her change of tone. It was coming...he didn't know what IT was..but he knew he'd have to hunt for aspirin afterwards, " WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" She screamed in horror as she continued to stare at him.

Tohma blinked.

Something was wrong... he wasn't expecting a 'What Happened?'. Nothing had happened after all... he was PRETTY sure... he hoped..

"Huh?" he mumbled, sitting up rather quickly, making his head spin slightly before lifting the pillow off of his face.

He winced and covered his eyes with the back of his hand. The room was brighter than he'd prepared himself for. He made a vow to instal a dimmer light switch instead...

"Eh... no light..."he whined, and after noticing her extreme hesitation to turn the light back off, he finally reopened his eyes.

Tohma visibly paled as he glanced up to see Noriko's terrified face in the door way.

"What? What's wrong?" He groaned.

He really wasn't in the mood...

Noriko whimpered slightly before pointing beside Tohma.

Tohma frowned as he stared at Noriko in worry, and then glanced to his right quickly.

He froze, blinking a few times rapidly.

Noriko continued to stare in horror.

She had known that Tohma never did too well with the sake...and that could be the only explanation for this...as Tohma clearly didn't know what was going on..

Tohma stared.

He made a silent vow right there to NEVER go out to a bar again. EVER...

He flinched as the person next to him shifted and used his arm as a light shield.

Noriko was speechless again. Of all situations to ever occur, this topped them. Tohma could never hold his liquor...neither could his father...But she had never known him (or his father for that matter) to bring someone home and clearly sleep with them! And if matters at hand could get no worse, this late night pick up was either a rather masculine, short haired woman with no tits, or a full blown, pretty young man!

Tohma and Noriko were snapped out of their shocked frozen states as the brunette in the bed yawned loudly.

"Tohma...light out... too bright... sleep...head dead...neh..." Ryuichi groaned as he scooted over and buried his face into Tohma's shoulder.

Tohma paled and stared down at Ryuichi somewhat dumbstruck.

"Uh...well...oh my..." Tohma stared up at Noriko and nearly died with embarrassment and awkwardness. "Uh... Noriko... I don't really think that this is the best time to be here... I'll...I'll explain later, I suppose... After I get my head straight...and I'm not feeling ill.. And 'I' actually know what happened exactly..." Tohma said slowly as he stared at Ryuichi and tried to put the situation together in his frazzled mind.

Ryuichi yawned once more.

"Noriko? Mmm... who's Nori?" Ryuichi mumbled, cracking an eye open to look at her.

He frowned and looked at her in confusion. He hadn't recalled seeing a girl with long light brown hair in the house upon their arrival, and it was only a one bedroom...She was evidently a visitor. He'd clearly missed something...

"Yes, I can see that... that this isn't the best of times...I want the WHOLE story later...well...maybe not the WHOLE story..." she blushed and quickly ran out of the room, and out of the apartment.

Tohma twitched.

Of course she'd leave in a rush NOW of all times...

"Mmm, Tohma... go sleepy-sleep, or you'll be tired later..." Ryuichi grinned as he closed his eyes again and preceded to huggle the blonde.

Tohma blinked.

Was this really the same guy he met last night?

The bartender had been right. His personality was way different now compared to how it had been before. Now... he just seemed so...so...

Innocent...child-like...

Tohma set his head back down on his plush pillow and rubbed his temples.

'How DID this happen?' He groaned as he slowly began to remember the previous night.

––FLASHBACK––

Tohma downed his 5th shot quickly as he began.

"I liked your voice. No... scratch that, I LOVED it." he smiled at Ryuichi's surprised look.

"You... LOVED it? I mean, everyone here says that, but they're always hovering and babbling, so I try not to listen to them... Do you really mean it?" Ryuichi blushed slightly.

Tohma nodded a bit over enthusiastically.

"Yes, I loved it. It was fantastic, that's a good thing by the way... Anyway, for the past few weeks, I haven't been here-" Tohma nearly jumped as Ryuichi quickly entered the conversation.

"Did you want a 'private' show or something?" Ryuichi smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Tohma blinked, not catching the implied meaning.

Sake was obviously begin to affect his mind...

"Sort of... Let me continue. I haven't been here in a while, so I haven't seen you, though now I wish I had. Oh, thanks..." Tohma paused momentarily as Ryuichi passed him another shot of sake-, and drank his own.

Apparently, Tohma hadn't noticed the fearful bartender give them to Ryuichi. The poor man was looking awfully frightened by this point.

Tohma drank it quickly and continued to try and say what he was trying to say, no matte how poorly he was doing...

"Anyway... I had been gone. I have a band, you might have heard someone talk about us, called Nittle Grasper. We aren't exactly new-new...Well, our singer quit, his mother died, had to take care of family, ect, and I had been planning to go out scouting and doing interviews, trying to find a permanent replacement, but when looking for our first singer, we went through so many people...it's damn near impossible to find someone who isn't money hungry, so in my frustration, I took a break tonight and came here." Tohma was babbling, and he knew it.

He was normally quite good at talking to people, Hell, he had even given the student speech at his graduation! So he was confused as to why he was having problems today.

He summoned the bartender, who walked over and gave Tohma a grim look.

"Seguchi-san, I really think you should stop now... You have no idea what might happen if you-"

Tohma glared at him, and the man became quiet.

"I'm fine! I'm not done yet..."

The man sighed in defeat.

He was sure Tohma was going to regret it the next day...

Tohma smiled and handed Ryuichi another drink as well, then downed his own.

Ryuichi smiled and nodded as he waved at Tohma to continue.

"Well, like I was saying... I was looking for a new singer, and I think I found one. I was wondering if you'd do it? It seems as though you would really be enjoying yourself, you seemed quite at home on th stage." Tohma gave a quiet sigh of relief that he had finally gotten it out of his mouth.

Ryuichi's eyes widened. He was offering him a job? HIM? A SINGING job? That meant... that no matter what, Tohma wouldn't refuse to talk to him once he spent enough time with him to figure out how he really was, like everyone else had so far!

He smiled and nodded frantically.

"Yeah! Of course! I'd love it. It would be fun! Wow, a job I'd actually enjoy doing! It would be great!" Ryuichi grinned and quickly glomped Tohma before waving toward the bartender again.

It seemed to hit a nerve with the guy, and he came stomping over in a huff.

"Now, look here! I really don't think the both of you should-"

"We didn't ASK you!" Tohma and Ryuichi growled together..

The flustered man meeped and backed off slowly, as the 2 continued chatting with one another.

The bartender sighed.

They'd learn the hard way...

"Fine then, I'll just leave the bottle here. Seguchi-san, tell me when you want me to call you a cab..."

Tohma smiled again.

"Uh, huh!" he sighed and waved the man away as he turned back to Ryuichi.

"So, what do I do?" Ryuichi asked as he poured Tohma and himself another drink.

"Well, you sing! And write, and write the actual music sometimes. That's usually my job though... I'm on keyboard and synth, so is the other member. She's great, but she's more like a second mother... She's got a parent complex I guess... She even likes to nag too!" Tohma laughed.

Ryuichi shuddered and Tohma raised an eyebrow.

Ryuichi blinked, scratching the back of his head, and smiled weakly.

"Not too fond of parental figures..." Ryuichi mumbled.

Tohma chuckled at that.

"Oh! Well, trust me, you'll love her. She's different!"

"Hmm..." Ryuichi wasn't too sure.

Tohma perked up suddenly and stared at the stage. He knew this band.

"Hey! These guys are great! Not as good as us, but still great!"

Ryuichi smiled weakly, then brightened up suddenly.

"Let's dance!" He smiled and grabbed Tohma's arm.

Tohma paled, and tried to put on the breaks as he was dragged out into the crowd of people.

"What? No, I really don't...honestly!" He protested as Ryuichi pulled him to the corner of the bar section of the club.

He sighed, and pouted at Tohma, arms crossed.

Tohma eyed him wearily.

"Fine..."

Ryuichi smirked.

'This is great! He's so fun!' Ryuichi laughed and slipped his arms around the unsuspecting Tohma's neck.

"It's good. You're not too much taller than me. I can reach you..." he grinned slightly and ran his hand threw Tohma's soft blonde hair. "Is it naturally that color? It doesn't feel dyed..."

Tohma coughed.

"Uh... yeah... Don't make me explain... family backgrounds and such..." Tohma blushed and sighed.

Did that have to be everyone's first major question about his life?

"Mm-kay..." Ryuichi murmured and snuggled his head into Tohma's neck.

Tohma blushed, and Ryuichi took advantage of the situation as he slid up against him, making him back into the wall.

"Mmm, Tohma... What are you going to do when you leave?" he asked quietly.

Tohma sighed as Ryuichi once again began to cuddle him.

"Don't know... Probably go home, climb into my large comfortable bed and sleep. I don't do well in that category... so it's easier to drink then sleep afterwards. Keeps me down for the night."

"Mmm...sounds nice..."Ryuichi smirked and brushed some hair out of Tohma's face as he seemed to inch closer.

The Bartender just happen to glance up and view the scene and he nearly dropped the drink he was serving to another customer...

"Not really..." Tohma sighed, "Noriko ends up coming in early to drag-" Tohma was cut off, his eyes widening as Ryuichi pressed his lips covered his own.

The bar tender almost fell over...

It was DEFINITELY time to call Seguchi a cab before ANYTHING happened between the two.

Seguchi would freak out and possibly never come back...and that would be bad...He was one of his best customers, and he couldn't afford to loose his business just because Ryuichi couldn't keep his hands to himself!

He picked up the phone and dialed quickly, arranging for the cab to arrive as quickly as possible.

"Seguchi-san!"

Tohma jumped and pulled away from Ryuichi's grasp, turning towards the bartender.

"Huh?" Tohma blinked as he stared at the man who was NOT baring a new bottle to drink.

"Your cab's here, time to leave!" The man said happily as he began to herd Tohma towards the exit.

Tohma groaned in disappointment and pushed away from the bartender as he walked back towards the bar to get his coat and hat, then back towards the exit. He was trying to have an important conversation! Why couldn't the man understand that?

Tohma grumbled, and stumbled through the crowd of people toward the door. He glanced back and glared at the bartender who was grinning ear to ear clearly pleased he's avoided any problems.

"Thank you for your business, come again!" The he smiled and sighed in relief as Tohma left the club.

He turned back to Ryuichi to explain why he had just sent his new 'play-thing' home, as he'd probably thought him quite rude. He'd have to understand though...he couldn't lose a customer like Tohma Seguchi. On his good nights, he'd drink far less, and of far more expensive drinks, and that was business he looked forward to.

Unfortunately, Ryuichi was already gone...

"Oh no..." he slammed his head on the bar in his stupidity.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma grunted as he slid into the cramped taxi that made him feel claustrophobic with the lack of leg room.

Ryuichi had followed him out of the club and stood beside the car, helping Tohma get it without him hitting his head.

"Can I join you?" Ryuichi suddenly asked, popping his head into the cab, grin plastered across his face.

"Hm? Sure, no problem." Tohma smiled and scooted to the other side of the car.

"Thanks." Ryuichi smirked, climbing in beside him.

––END F-BACK-

Tohma blinked.

After that, all he remembered was getting home and somehow not managing to kill himself going up the stairs (he assumed he'd had some help from the brunette) and walking into his large apartment, only to be pinned against the wall by his new singer upon shutting the door He hadn't locked the door either...

So Noriko hadn't even had to try hard to get in...a mistake he'd not easily forget in the near future, just like don't drink without the company of a prior acquaintance there to guard you from doing something incredible stupid...

He frowned as he threw a blank as to what happened next, though he could easily guess.

After all, he could clearly see that they were now both in bed together, naked, and well... he was sore in areas that he shouldn't normally be...

He shuddered.

How could he have possibly been THAT drunk?

How could he especially not remember something like that?

Okay, so he had downed a bottle or so of sake-, and that was WAY over his normal amount...

But, he hadn't been gay yesterday... Why had last night been any different?

'Damned sake-...'Tohma sighed and looked down at Ryuichi who had immediately fallen back asleep after seeing Noriko. Obviously, he'd been far more drunk than the other had been, which clearly made this Ryuichi's fault...

"Hey, wake up!" Tohma nearly shouted, just to make sure that he really did wake up. After all, he couldn't be sure that he wasn't a deep sleeper.

Ryuichi flinched and slowly opened his eyes to look at Tohma sadly. He'd been faking...

"You...HATE me now...right? Just like everyone else always does... right?" Ryu asked quietly as he looked up at Tohma with a somewhat hurt expression.

Tohma paled, and the sweats started.

" No...I don't hate you... I have no reason to. It's just... a bit awkward to wake up like this... I've never been interested in guys before... and I don't recall this type of situation ever happening with a woman before either. That's two things to slam me in the head this morning, it's just a bit overwhelming, that's all..."

Ryuichi managed a weak smile, though he still wasn't convinced that Tohma did NOT hate him..

"Really? That's all? You... really aren't mad at me?" He blinked, then grinned slightly. "Then, for future reference, you really shouldn't dress the way you do then... You give the wrong impression..." He finally smiled as Tohma glared at him for the slight insult.

Tohma huffed, getting completely off subject as he glared at the brunette.

"That's... just how I dress... always have. I can definitely afford the fancy clothes, so I like to wear and buy them..." Tohma sighed and sweat dropped.

What was wrong with his clothes? No one ever asked him if he was gay before...

Maybe they were afraid? He COULD be intimidating sometimes...

Ryuichi blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"If you have a lot of money... why do you need a band? You don't even need to work then, do you?" Ryuichi was now confused, but that wasn't exactly hard to do...

Tohma smiled, stretching.

"No, I don't. Although that wouldn't go over too well with my father. He feels as though having it doesn't mean you've earned it and such. I have a band because I enjoy it. It's what I do for entertainment. That's why I was looking for a good singer that just sung for the hell of it. Not someone with a voice that wanted the easy cash. Sure, the money that comes in is great, if the band is great, but I do it for the thrill. So does the girl that was here earlier. Noriko's the other member of our band I mentioned, the mother figure, and I don't think I'll ever have to worry about her coming over in the morning uninvited ever again, you probably cured her of that... I thank you for that..." Tohma sighed and chuckled slightly.

In a weird way, this wasn't so horrible...considering he had woken up in bed with his newly acquired band mate...mere hours after meeting him...

"Our? You mean... I'm still in?" Ryuichi looked at Tohma in shock.

"Of course. Nothing's changed. Except my sexual preferences... evidently...Accidently, I've apparently become bisexual... I guess..." Tohma blushed.

This just felt very screwed up...

"Does that mean that you might actually go out with me then?" Ryuichi asked hopefully as he began to fiddle with the bed-sheet in his hands.

Tohma blinked.

Was he really up to being with a guy?

He paused as thoughts of the many breakups with Mika ran through his mind, and he sighed.

Well, he had already done the unthinkable...something he hadn't dare tried to do with Mika yet even... that had to say something about the situation...

And his father wouldn't exactly ever find out, and he COULD use some stress relief (and less early morning Noriko) and...it didn't hurt that Ryuichi had a body he'd die for, let alone a face to match.

He blushed.

"I... guess... I could probably use a change. I don't know though... I'm not incoherent anymore. I suppose that we could... TRY it... but don't say a word to anybody! If word somehow found its way to my family, they'd die of shock and embarrassment... and then disown me! Yu don't want that for me, right?"" Tohma sighed and looked to Ryuichi for an answer.

"Whoot! Don't worry! I can keep a secret!" He grinned at Tohma making him laugh nervously.

And then it dawned on him. Tohma turned his full attention on to Ryuichi, which in turn made the brunette squirm in the sheets,

"Hey...Do you have school tomorrow? Or are you done?" Tohma asked. He had completely forgotten to ask him his age.

Ryuichi fell over in the bed and yelped.

"Ack! Bad, I still have homework to do!" He squeaked and flew out of the bed to gather his clothes.

Tohma paled slightly.

"Really? How... old are you?"

"Uh, eighteen. Not good at school though. Failed a couple of grades... just a 2nd year...really behind..." Ryuichi mumbled as he zipped his jeans up and threw his shirt back on.

Tohma sighed in relief...

'Barely legal...'

"Too bad. Must be rough. I got out a year ago... Could have gotten out early, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay with Noriko a while longer. We're a few years apart, almost always been separated. It's a miracle we even met... Oh! If you're leaving, take this." Tohma reached to the desk next to his bed and grabbed a pen and paper, then wrote his cell phone number down on it and handed it to him.

Ryuichi smirked

"Oh! Thanks, I think I'll need that!" He grabbed it and slipped it into his back pocket.

"Well then. I'll see you sometime this week."Tohma smiled.

"That'll be fine..." Ryuichi grinned, paused a moment, then slid back onto the bed." I forgot something..." He murmured before leaning in and kissing Tohma again." I SUPPOSED to do that now..." he chuckled. "Buh, Bye!"" He shouted as he dashed out the door to the apartment.

Tohma stood up and headed for the bathroom to soak in a bath.

He sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

Tohma suddenly hoped that Mika would stay mad for a while. If she heard about the whole situation, she'd die of shock and think she turned him gay... then they'd both be in trouble...

Mika wasn't one to get sad...she'd get even...

He smiled weakly at the thought of the look on her face and chuckled to himself as he reached up and touched his lips...

Noriko was going to kill him...


	3. Chapter 4

Hello again! Sorry for the slow update. I'm working on quite a few stories all at one time, and I mess with whichever fic I'm in the mood for at the time.

Right now I'm sticking to Gravitation and Harry Potter fanfiction, although I may dive into other series eventually.

If you need other things to read while you wait for future updates, please feel free to read and review my other fics!

Anyway, bit of violence in this chapter, just a forewarning.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Upon Ryuichi's sudden retreat, Tohma finally stumbled out of bed.

His head still throbbed, and even though he was naked, he shuffled, baring all, as he slid into the bathroom. Tohma immediately sought the relief that the bottle of Tylenol offered, and then chose to relieve himself. Standing wasn't so easy on this particular morning, and Tohma decided that he would not chance a shower. Instead, he opted run a bath for himself. As the tub filled up, he glanced back out of the bathroom at his bed, and frowned.

Still naked, he walked back into his bedroom, and started rummaging around for the coat he'd worn the previous night. He quickly realized that it was nowhere to be found and he sat on the bed in a huff.

"I just KNOW I was wearing it when I went home..." he grumbled. He hadn't recalled forgetting it in the cab either

His eyes narrowed and he walked to the front door, peering out the peep hole.

He sighed.

He'd left the coat outside the door...

He cracked open the door, crouched ion the ground, and attempted to reach the coat with his arm. Unfortunately, it was too far out of reach. He stuck his head outside the door to judge the distance, and paled as he became aware of the neighbor, a strict old lady, staring at him with one of her not so pleasant looks.

He laughed nervously and shrugged at her. He then pulled his head back inside the door, and quickly jutted his leg out from behind the door, snagging a coat sleeve with his foot. After getting his coat in his grasped, he quickly slammed the door and slumped against it.

Poor woman probably though he was a freak...anyone in their right mind would have realized that he was naked...

He made a mental not to put a robe near the door for such odd awkward occasions.

He checked his pockets, shocked to see that all of his belongings were still within their respectable pockets. He grabbed his cell phone and bolted for the bathroom once again. He was thankful to see that the tub had not filled up too much, and he shut the water off.

Tohma sighed as he gently slid into the bath tub. He dunked his head quickly to get his hair wet and then picked up his cell phone off of the side of the tub where he'd left it.

He might as well get it over with and call his frightened friend...

Tohma groaned as the phone barely managed to ring once before his friend picked up. Knowing her, she had sat there, phone in hand just waiting for some news.

"Oh my god! Tohma! What the hell happened?" Noriko immediately answered.

He sighed, taking a deep breath.

Hyper little Nori...

"Hello to you too... Okay, it's a bit of a story, so I'll make it short... I went to the club and drank a bit. He was singing, Ryuichi is his name, jus so you klnow. I loved his voice, you NEED to hear it Nori...I'm serious...he had no band, I was tickled pink, and well, I hired him-"

"AND THEN YOU SLEPT WITH HIM!" She screamed, and Tohma frantically moved the phone away from his head, almost dropping it into the tub.

"That wasn't my fault! Well...I guess it was...sort of...It was the sake's... I had a bit over a bottle...at least I think it was just one whole bottle...might have been two now that I think of it..." He trailed off.

"You IDIOT! You know how you get! Uhg... how could you be so reckless Tohma? You don't even know this guy, and then you two just..." Noriko suppressed a shudder and shook her head. " and to top it all off, you put us back in the same position as before, so now we still have to find a sing-"

"But I hired him." Tohma interupted.

"You want to keep him!" Noriko yelled as she almost dropped the phone in shock.

"Yeah. There's no reason not to..." Tohma sighed...

She just HAD to be difficult...

"Tohma, please tell me you didn't... please tell me you aren't that stupid..." she groaned.

"Hm?""

"You're... not going to... you know... do it again, are you?" She asked, not really wanting him to answer.

"Who knows." He stated bluntly with a sigh.

"WHAT!" she screeched, this time she really did drop the phone.

She scrambled to pick it back up, and Tohma waited patiently.

"Look...Noriko, stay calm. I'm... WITH him now... A lot happened after you left, and It's complicated, and I can't explain it, but... I think I really do like him. Besides...after actually doing what I did...I can't really erase it, now can I? It already happened...He's... different, and a little strange, but well... I WANT to try it. I'm not with Mika at this point in time either, so I don't really see a problem. I'm not cheating on her if she's broken up with me and stopped talking to me. I still have to make sure that my parents don't find out, I know that... I've worked hard to keep the 'perfect son' image. I got all 'A's in school, I have money due to my father's businesses, and from my many, many years I've gone to competition with my piano playing... I go to college, and I have a band. I don't need my image with my parents ruined, so don't mention it to people... Please... They'll probably figure something out eventually, but I could give the 'fan service' excuse. They'd still be horrified, but they'd get over it in a few days... Who knows, it probably won't work, but bare with me Noriko...I just REALLY need a change right now. Also, I'm not one for one night stands, and I'd never be able to live with myself." Tohma stated, finality in his voice..

This was NOT easy to explain.

Noriko groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Tohma, as your best friend, I say this with the best intentions. YOU'RE INSANE! Whatever... I still need to do left over homework... Do what you want to do. It's your business, not mine, no matter how demented it may be. I've got to go, bye!"

She hung up on him!

Tohma shook his head, closing the phone. She'd blow of her steam and be normal again, he'd seen her like this plenty of times.

He took the time to wash his hair, and he scrubbed himself down. He leaned back against the tub resting for a few minutes. After he'd turned somewhat pruney, he sighed and stood in the tub, pulling th plug. He turned the shower on to rinse himself off, and shut it off once more afterwards.

He dried himself off, and walked back into his room over to his closet where he got dressed.

"What to do today?" he asked himself quietly as he walked into his office, slash keyboard room, and turned on his systems.

He sat down began to finish up the music to the song him and Noriko were writing. There were no lyrics yet, of coarse. They would come in due time...

He decided he'd finish up the arrangement and eat, and then go back to bed to sleep the tiredness, and soreness away, and all would be well.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi sighed as he walked up the steps to the door of his 'home', if that was what you'd call it...

He unlocked the door and stepped in. He poked his head around the door and smiled. Lights were off, which meant that no one was home. He sighed in relief , and went into his room. After all, he did have homework to do still, or at least he thought he did.

He grabbed his backpack and laid down on his unmade bed and started pulling out all of his books. He looked at his assignment book and prepared himself for the worst as he read through the assignments he had to do.

- English Language- none

- Japanese writing- none

- History- done... he'd struggled through that assignment Friday night...

- Music- none

- Art- none

and...

Math...

- Math- pg. 49-52 # 1-8, 11-20, 22, 28, and 33

He groaned.

Why had he waited until the last second to do math of all things? It was going to take him all day...

"Maybe I'll do half..." he mumbled to himself as the phone rang suddenly.

He bounded through the house and lifted up the reciever.

"Moshi- Moshi!" He shouted happily into the phone.

He mentally groaned when it was someone looking for his step-father again...

He sighed.

"Nope! No one's here, really, ja!" he hung up and mad ehis way back to his room, where he stared back at the book and frowned.

"Maths are icky..." he whined again and began working once more.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi jumped awake as the front door slammed shut.

He flinched.

He was going to hear it now. He had fallen asleep with only four questions done...

Upon glancing at the clock he groaned...he'd been asleep for nearly 7 hours...

He heard his step-father mutter something before he heard the man's footsteps start towards his room.

Ryuichi winced.

He heard a crack, and a flash of light flew into his room. He hadn't even noticed it was raining out... He stared out the window in a slight trance as the bedroom door flew open, revealing a quite angry, drunken man.

"Where the hell were you boy? I told you last week that you're grounded on weekends now! I'm tired of hearing your ass walk threw the door after midnight or at the crack of dawn depending on how far away you were!" Ryuichi tensed. "All because you want to go out to 'sing' and be a man whore! It's bad enough that you sleep around with a few women, but it's down right disgusting that it's MEN you're screwing too! Your mother's probably turning in her grave knowing that her son plays for both teams!" He screamed at him as he held himself up in the door way.

Ryuichi flinched and the man walked towards him, glancing quickly at the open books on the bed. Despite his runken state, he managed to put what was in his assignment book together with whathe'd been working on when he'd fallen asleep.

"AND you're probably going to fail another grade! How stupid can you be? Only four problems out of all of those damn things done, and it's already night! They're probably done wrong too...You might as well just drop out so I don't have to waste anymore of my money on schooling you don't even appreciate, and get a job at some fast food joint and buy yourself a paper hat!" The man screamed at him, amusement showing in his eyes as he waited for Ryuichi to do or say something.

Ryuichi just glared at him.

"Your mother was probably soooo ashamed that you were her son that it's what got her sick-" He stopped suddenly as he was slammed in the chest with the math book that HAD been in front of the brunette.

Ryuichi was fuming by this point.

The next thing Ryuichi knew, he was lying in the rubble of the broken wood and glass table that he had been thrown into.

He winced and let out a gasp as he pulled a rather large piece of glass out of his thigh and then he looked at his newly cut up arms. Before he could do anything to his shard filled arms, he was dragged back to his feet and knocked across the room once again.

This time, the wind was temporarily knocked out of him and he laid there for a moment as he felt blood trickle down the side of his head and lip. His step-father walked up to him and pulled him back up by his hair, earning a yelp from the injured Ryuichi.

"You're so pathetic! Not a trace of fight in that queer body of yours!"

Ryuichi cracked his eyes open and glared at the man with pure hatred.

"Screw... you-" Ryuichi choked out and stopped as he was pinned against the wall, feet barely touching the floor with a hand wrapped around his neck.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not one of your bitches you can talk to like that! I'm the adult, your superior!" He screamed as his other fist connected with Ryuichi's abdomen.

His step father let go of his neck and Ryuichi sunk to the floor clutching his abdomen. A choked out sob escaped his throat and he glanced at the door and suddenly gathered up enough strength to stand up and dash past the crazed man, and out of the bedroom, then out of the front door.

Ryuichi only hoped he remembered where he was running. It was still pouring out, the thunder and lighting going off around him, and he had no shoes. His feet were already hurting from the glass that was probably imbedded in them along with the rocks that poked and cut him as he ran.

He was pretty sure that he remembered the way, but he could only hope. It had taken him about 45 minutes to walk home, so he figured that if he could remember the way well enough, he could possibly get there within fifteen minutes at his current pace...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma awoke to the sound of frantic pounding on his door. He hadn't been asleep very long, and he could feel a trace of his earlier headache creeping up on him. He groaned and turned the lamp on as he walked out of his room and into the living room towards the front door.

If it was Noriko, he was going to kill her...

What could she possibly want so late at night...

He opened the door prepared to yell at his friend, only to gasp as a wet, bloody, and beaten Ryuichi collapsed into his arms.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I know, horrid place to end, but it can't be helped. This chapter was already rather long, and I didn't want to get going on another topic, making it even longer.

Hope to hear you reviews, and I will update whenever I feel in the mood for this fic!

(Reviews help in that matter *hint, hint, poke, poke* )


	4. Chapter 5

Ahead of time, I'm sorry. This one will be rather short...

But at least it got here!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ryuichi!" Tohma gasped in shock, quickly managing to catch the brunette in his arms. He fell to his knees holding him as he quickly observed the damage that had been done to the teen. "Ryuichi? Can you hear me?" Tohma murmured gently, brushing Ryuichi's bangs out of his face as he tried to gently wake him.

He sighed in relief when Ryuichi's breathing at least went back to normal, though he still was unconscious. Tohma lifted his hand to his head, then to Ryuichi's.

He frowned.

He definitely had a fever, which wasn't surprising since it was raining a river outside.

He glared, whoever had dared to harm the brunette was going to be in some serious trouble.

He paused momentarily, and then blinked.

You weren't really supposed to sleep if you possibly had a concussion...were you?

"Hey! Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Tohma shouted as he shook Ryuichi's shoulders gently as he tried to revive him. Tohma soon gave up the pointless shouting however, and ended up lifting Ryuichi up into his arms.

"Mmmm..." Tohma looked down as Ryuichi winced and whimpered in his sleep, and he sighed sadly.

"What the hell happened? He's soaked to the bone, and he doesn't even have any shoes on... Who would do something like this? He must have run all the way here..." He murmured as he stood up slowly and shut the door as he walked carefully into his bedroom, where he sat the unconscious Ryuichi on his bed.

Tohma growled as he tried to control the anger that was aimed for whomever had caused the injures to HIS singer, and he slid the soaking wet t-shirt off over the brunette's head. He tossed the discarded shirt across the room into his laundry pile, then walked over to his dresser, and pulled out a plain white t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, then walked back over to the shivering figure on his bed.

'He's so cold...' He frowned as he set a hand on Ryuichi's cold damp shoulder.

Tohma stood and quickly turned the heat up, and sat back down next to Ryuichi. He sighed as the vents began to click and the heat levels turned up. He grabbed the dry shirt and slid it over Ryuichi's cold wet frame, and then slid his heavy wet jeans off onto the floor, and blushed slightly as he slid his boxers off, and the pajama pants onto him.

He groaned as he glanced at the electric clock next to the bed. It was late, and he had things to do the next day... but he couldn't exactly sleep at the moment...

He sighed as he stood up and walked into the large bathroom. He grabbed some gauze, tweezers, and a wash cloth out of his medicine cabinet, wet the cloth, and walked back over to Ryuichi to clean his cuts.

Tohma groaned. It was as if he had walked threw a glass door...

He picked up the cut up arm and began to remove the small shards of glass from it. He winced as a few little drops of blood oozed out of the tiny cuts. He quickly wiped them off with the wet cloth and continued to wrap the arm up, and then he moved down to his feet, which weren't that badly injured, even after considering the fact that he had run barefoot in the rain...

He wrapped them up quickly and then glanced at his bleeding forehead, and cleaned it up as well. It was a simple cut, not too deep... It would be fine... No need for stitches...

He flinched as he noticed a small red blob forming on the pajama pants near Ryuichi''s thigh, and rolled up the pant leg, noticing the slice there that he had mises earlier somehow. It was a small slice, but rather deep. It worried him. This one should probably get stitched up, but he didn't have the slightest clue as to what he'd tell the hospital. He regretfully wrapped it tightly, and pulled the pant leg back down.

Tohma sighed in relief. Other then the cuts from the glass, some bruises, and a slight fever, Ryuichi seemed as though he was going to be fine.

He grimaced as he once again glanced back at the clock. It was really starting to get late, and the sound of the rain just made him sleepier... So did the thoughts of work to do the next day. He sighed in defeat and shuffled towards the light switch, flicking it off. Using the soft glow of the lamp near the bed, he walked back over to it and laid down next to the feverish Ryuichi, pulling the blankets over the both of them.

After all, he need sleep desperately, and Ryuichi could use some warmth and care at the moment...

He yawned and curled himself around the brunette, feeling him shiver at the sudden rush of heat that enclosed around him.

Ryuichi murmured something quietly in his sleep and Tohma smiled

Did Ryuichi know he was there?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi groaned as he woke up to most of his body throbbing in pain. It felt like his body had been hit by a bus... Then again, it was probably close enough...

He sighed and glanced to the clock near the bed.

Did he have an internal alarm clock in his mind or something? He had woken up at the normal time he'd wake up for school...

Damned unnatural bodily functions...

He whined, then blinked as he fully registered the fact that he was not in his own room. He shot up in the bed, regretting it immediately, and glanced around clutching his head.

"That's right... I ran back to Tohma's..." He turned around, and sure enough, there was no Tohma, but he HAD been there. He had to have been..

He had actually slept with him...

He smiled weakly and glanced briefly at the note he finally noticed on Tohma's pillow before picking it up.

_Ryuichi,_

_I'm SO sorry that I'm not there right now, but I had important things to do that could not be avoided... Again, I am sorry. Please use whatever you need to in the bathroom, and gauze is on the sink if you need to redo bandages if you decide to shower, which you probably will. Feel free to roam my closet and take what you wish. I do have a few articles of 'normal' clothing in there if you wish to wear them. Your clothes are currently in the wash. Eat whatever you wish, the fridge is fully stocked. I have no clue as to when I'll return... so please be patient. I'll be back as soon as I could have ditched today, I would have._

_Love,_

_Tohma_

Ryuichi blinked.

So he'd be gone most of the day?

Well, then he might as well go to school... He'd get nagged for not having his books or his homework, but one day wouldn't kill him, and he'd still get some late credit on what he actually did do...

He paled as he glanced at the large closet to his left and walked over to it, wincing as his feet stung slightly. After a few steps, his right leg almost gave out. He cussed and felt it up, only then remembering the long bit of glass that has entered his thigh. He shuddered slightly, and made a mental note to favor that leg...

He paaused at the doors of the closet and paled.

It couldn't be that bad... could it?

He threw open the doors and gasped.

It sure as hell could be!

There was fur and feathers everywhere! It looked like a safari gone wrong! He shuddered and flipped threw the clothes, hoping to find something partially normal to wear.

''Note to self... take Tohma out shopping for different clothes...''

He sighed in relief as he spotting a pair of black jeans and a white, non-frilly dress shirt.

"It'll have to do!" He chirped as he ran and slid into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After a half hour of showering and bandaging, he walked out of the bathroom and quickly threw on the clothes. He could go commando for a day...it wouldn't hurt... He just wasn't into the idea of wearing someone else's undergarments...no matter what the situation...

He sighed and zipped up the tight black jeans.

And Tohma wondered why he had thought he was gay...

Just look at the clothes...

He sighed again as he slipped on a pair of black dress boots, thankful that Tohma had nearly the same shoe size, and laced them up quickly before he wrote a quick note for Tohma.

Ryuichi quickly sped out the door, on his way to try and get to school on time, ignoring his pounding head.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yeah... it did come out a bit short but not that badly... I'm sorry...

Be happy, read and review!


	5. Chapter 6

Hello!

This will be the last chapter I post unless I start getting some reviews from new people.

I appreciate those who have been reviewing every chapter (and definite special thanks to Emiko hime-sama, and t.a.g.) , but I do get to see on my stats page the number of people reading this fic regularly. I have at least 25 people reading this story regularly

I know, it's a pain to review. I myself used to very rarely review fics, but since my return onto this site, I review every chapter I read when a new one is posted. If I can take the few seconds out of life to do this for others, I can be expected to expect it of others. All I'm looking to see is a few name names, whether you're an account holder, or an anonymous poster like t.a.g., it's just nice to see who's out there.

With that said, here is chapter 6!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi sighed as he slumped down into heat seat. He had gotten to school on time thankfully, but he was beginning to regret ever going in the first place...

His head had inconveniently continued to pound, and he hadn't been at school five minutes before he was the talk of the first class of they day. He had to admit that he was probably quite the sight. There he was, in dress clothes and shoes, that were tightly clinging to him,(nothing like what he'd normally wear, nor anything like the actual uniforms, which were a rather dark navy blue, top and bottom) and he looked like he'd been jumped by a dozen large men... So naturally, the teachers, yet again, thought he was some insane misfit thug, and he had proved, yet again, to the rest of the school that he was a complete total freak.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain in his head to subside.

He'd probably get beat up again later on during lunch for this one... not that he ever had money to eat anyway...

Like that man would EVER give him money...

He sighed and glanced at the clock, unable to pay attention with his head pounding and body aching. He figured that the gash on his head wasn't helping matters any.

Thank god it was art class and he could do the work at any given time... at home...

At the thought of that, he groaned.

The moment he went home would probably be the moment he'd die anyway... He'd never actually run away before, and he couldn't possibly burden Tohma with staying at his house, though it would have been great...

Getting away from home, and his step father, were a few of the main reasons he had been trying desperately to get into a relationship, but as he had found out, just like at school or home, he wasn't exactly considered normal. However, the general public didn't have to deal with the things he had to.

The KIND and WONDERFUL people he'd end up going home with would be way too wasted to care about how he acted, and in the morning, the people would become aware of his... personality and get freaked out, then throw him out, and then they'd never talk to him again.

Needless to say, it always got him down, proving that he was worthless to everyone...

It was times like this he wondered what HAD to be wrong with Tohma to accept him. Perhaps he needed a singer that badly?

Ryuichi shook those thoughts from his head. He didn't want to believe that there was a chance Tohma was manipulating him, he couldn't handle that right now...

For the remainder of the class, he sat with hi head down. Teachers were used to his odd behavior by this point, and ignored him.

At last, the first bell rang, and he gladly flew up out of his seat, cursing himself immediately when he fell down in dizziness afterwards. The teacher glared at him and he laughed slightly in embarrassment and got back up. Without a second glance at the woman, he dashed out of the room.

He ran to World History quickly, just so he'd be able to sit down again. He REALLY wasn't feeling too hot at the moment...so he sat down and laid his head back down on the desk like he had in the previous class.

No one seemed to notice his lack of attention, and this time, he slept through the entire class.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi shot up when the lunch bell rang, and knocked his desk over in the panic, causing the teacher to pull him aside while they waited for the rest of the class to leave.

"Don't think I didn't notice you sleep through my class Mr. Sanju..." Ryuichi flinched, " I don't tolerate disrespect in this class. AND don't think for one second that I haven't noticed your behavior all semester. Don't let it continue, or I will personally remove you from my class..." Ryuichi slunk out of the classroom with his head hung low. He hated confrontation, as no one ever believed what he said regardless if he tried to defend himself or not, and he HATED what the teachers INSISTED on calling him despite his past protests...

He'd left the room with a detention, and a slip to have his 'parents' come in.

Like that would happen...

His step father would laugh and tear it up.

And his step father was all he had left now...

Ryuichi sighed and walked down the halls and out to the back field where most people ate their lunch. His already upset stomach growled in protest, but he brushed it off and walked out of sight of the rest of the students. He eventually stopped and leaned against the wall of the school, sinking to the grass below him, and closing his eyes to try and get more of the sleep he'd been getting in class.

Maybe if he slept enough he wouldn't feel so ill...his head showed no signs of relief, and his thigh throbbed painfully where the glass had embedded itself in him. He longed for a bottle of aspirin. The nurse had long since stopped giving him anything, assuming he was faking all his aches and pains and just trying to get a fix of something. He snorted at the thought. She'd have thought twice if he'd have stripped in front of her. All his aches and pains would have been evident to her after that. But no, he didn't ant to scar the woman for life, nor bring more attention to his home life, as it would just make things worse.

He nearly drifted back into slumber, but his eyes shot open as he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him, and he hesitantly glanced up at the five people in front of his outstretched legs.

Yeah, he had been right... He was definitely going to get beat up today...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma sighed in relief as he walked back into his apartment after his long, worrying day. He wasn't sure what he hated more...work days, or class days...

"Damn businessmen..." He growled as he walked to his room, knocking on the closed door.

Having heard no response, he walked in, sighing heavily when no one was there lying in the bed. He paused suddenly though, and walked towards the bed. He gave a weak smile once he saw his note with a second beside it.

He picked it up and sat on the bed to read it.

_Tohma,_

_Sorry for disturbing you last night, but didn't know where else to go... There is no where else..._

_Sorry for messing up your schedule. I know you weren't expecting me until at least the weekend, but yeah..._

_If you're wondering where I am, I went to school, so no worries I guess. Thanks for helping._

_Ryu_

Tohma blinked.

Ryuichi hadn't messed his schedule up...

He groaned and squeezed his temples.

"The idiot! He should have stayed in bed all day! He was in no condition to go prancing around a school..." He yelled to the empty apartment, and started on his way back out the door to his car (that he had picked up early yesterday), and pulled out his cell phone.

He could easily find out what school he went to, and then he'd force him to come back and lay back down and rest. After all, he still didn't know what the hell happened to him in the first place.. Ryuichi had slept ever since he collapsed, and he had left before he had woken up. He deserved an explaination, and a person to throw the blame on so he could vent his anger.

Tohma whined. He couldn't even figure out where Ryuichi could have possibly gotten the strength to move, let alone walk to school and sit there all day...

He groaned and continue dialing the numbers potential people that could tell him his answer, and after six or so calls, with no results, he was frustraited.

It shouldn't be that hard to find a student in a school. He groaned. Why couldn't a single person find him? There were only so many schools in the area...

And then it dawned on Tohma.

Was it possible that Ryuichi had given him a fake name?

Tohma parled the car and leaned back against the seat. It WAS possible...though he hoped that Ryuichi had been truthful with him. After all, the bartender had even addressed him as Ryuichi. And Ryuichi himself? Well, he responded well to the name.

Possibly last name... Tohma nodded to himself.

Lots of people gave fake last name...and given that Ryuichi hadn't had the best reputation in the bar, it seemed plausible that he was using one as well. Tohma could accept that...

But, that did put him in a spot...how was he supposed to find Ryuichi with a potentially fake last name, no picture, and 11 potential schools?

He let out a frustrated sigh.

He'd have to do it the hard way...

Tohma pulled back out onto the street and turned the car around.

A fifteen minute drive, and an impossible to navigate parking lot later, he re-parked the car and trudged up the steps to the overly large school. He walked calmly up the front sidewalk, students covering the vast front lawn, a few staring at him either in curiosity, or in knowing. He was nearly to the front doors, and he thought he had almost made it, was a surprised squeal arose from behind, and he prepared himself for impact.

He found himself slammed through the doors and pinned to the floor with an over joyed Noriko on his chest.

"Oh my gosh Tohma! What are you doing here?" She laughed. " Did you come to see little ol' me?" She cooed at him.

He glared at her, pushing her off of him, befor standing himself back up. He brushed himself off and frowned at her.

"No Noriko, I did NOT come to see you..." He grumbled.

She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Well why the hell not!" She growled.

He sighed and shook hos head at her.

"Noriko, I'm here on important business. Besides, we spent enough time together this past weekend, and I'm still feeling it..." He pushed past her, but she followed.

"You're only feeling it because all this work is making you an early old man!" She blew a raserry at him.

He paused, and spun around to point at the door he'd fallen through.

"Noriko, go back outside, gossip with your friends and DON'T tell Mika I'm here!" He glared.

Noriko laughed nervously.

Obviously Tohma was in a very bad mood, and was better left alone...

"Okay Tohma, I'll leave...but you better give me some explanation later, kay?" She smiled weakly.

Tohma gave in and returned her smile.

"I'll tell you what I can, alright?"

She nodded and quickly gave him a peck on the cheek before bounding down the hall and out the door.

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall for a moment. Noriko was way to hyper for her own good...He hoped that age would cure her of this eventually...

After a moment's rest after his ordeal, he made his way up to the head office. After a brief chat with the woman at the desk, the Principal opened his doors for him.

"What can I do for you Mr. Seguchi? It's been a while since our last wonderful chat. I was sad to see you go!" The man grinned at him, and Tohma was hopeful.

"I'm afraid that I'm here on business, not for pleasure.." He trailed off, sitting down in the guest chair. The man closed the door behind them, and returned to his seat at the desk.

"I see...well then, what can I do for you Mr. Seguchi?" Tohma could see the sweat starting to form on the man's forehead.

Clearly, the mention of 'business' took away Tohma's student feel, and brought on the Seguchi name. At times Tohma hated his family connections, but they did come in handy in situations such as these.

"You may call me Tohma sir, you clearly know me well by this point." The man nodded, but didn't offer his own name. " Very well...I'm looking for a student."

The man let out a large breath of air, clearly relieved that this was all. Tohma withheld a chuckle.

"That's all? Well, that will be no problem! Who are you looking for? What grade are we looking at here?" he turned to his computer and began pulling up the schools files.

"Unfortunately, it is not as easy as you believe, Sir." The man froze, and turned towards Tohma, clearly a few shades lighter than he'd been previously. "I am looking for a male student, a Ryuichi. I believe that he's a sophomore, eighteen years of age, so we can start there. However, I'm completely unsure of what school he goes to exactly, so we will need to hunt through more than just this school's files. Can I be assured that you can do this?" he raised an eyebrow at the man, who again seemed relived to some extent.

"Yes...it's possible. I can access the student databases of other schools to an extent. I can't pull up addresses or phone numbers, but I can pull up student profiles...academic records, attendance, photos... May I ask why you need to find this boy?"

Tohma shook his head.

"I'm afraid that, that particular information is classified." he smiled.

The principal was not put at ease by his response, but he turned back to his computer all the same. Tohma joined the man on the other side of the desk and viewed the screen over his shoulder.

There were hundreds of students named Ryuichi in the district, many of which were sophomores, but only one of which was an eighteen year old Sophomore.

Thankfully, It was clearly THE Ryuichi he was searching for.

Tohma frowned. He was disappointed though. Ryuichi had clearly lied to him about his name.

_Sanju, Ryuichi Kai_

"This is him. I thank you Sir. Now, if you would please print this page out for me, I'll be on my way." The man nodded, and lifted the printed pages out of the printer, pausing before handing the papers over to Tohma.

"This Boy is in some kind of trouble, isn't he? He's got one of the worst attendance and academic records I've ever seen...reports of fights...ditching classes..." He warily gave Tohma the printed sheets.

"Sorry Sir, classified, remember?" he slid the papers into his jacket. "I would like you to print out his home address and house phone for me as well."

The man seemed to chock on air as he turned to Tohma.

"I've already told you, I don't have access-" Tohma cut him off, wagging a finger at him is disappointment.

"You cannot deny having info that I can clearly see available for your viewing on the screen before me. Now, I request that you please give me what I'm asking for." his eyes narrowed at the man.

He stared at Tohma for a long moment, before sighing and clicking on the link and printing it.

"I'm not going to hear on the news that this boy turns up dead am I?" he said shakily, as he handed Tohma the documents.

Tohma locked eyes with him.

"I certainly hope not, Sir..." he bowed, and turned towards the door, opening it as he went. Before shutting it, he turned back around to face the man.

"You've been a wonderful help. I don't believe I have to tell you to keep my visit a secret, correct?" He smiled.

"O-of course not..." the man grumbled, shifting in his seat. Tohma nodded.

"Thank you for your time."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma sped down the halls towards the exit of the school. He was thankful that Noriko was nowhere in site as he plowed through the doors towards his car.

Things were potentially worse than he'd originally thought, that much was clear...

Ryuichi had missed an awful lot of school...not only that, but he was constantly tardy to classes, had a habit of sleeping in said classes, and was notorious for getting into fights. His grades were poor (although he had told him this himself, it was still shocking to see how poor they were.) And he showed no signs of being anywhere close to passing the school year...

Tohma sped off to his destination, a decent sized school on the other end of town. He immediately hoped Ryuichi did NOT live near the school, as Tohma found it far too far of a distance from his home to have been running in Ryuichi's condition.

Tohma found it difficult to obey traffic laws all the way there...the last thing he needed was to be pulled over, so he managed to only be slightly over the speed limit, but enough to make him feel as though he'd get to the school somewhat faster.

A little convincing for the idiotic principal and he'd have Ryuichi out of there within ten minutes, after all, most of the schools in the city knew exactly who he was. With one flash of his 'smile' they'd bow before his feet, completely at his mercy.

He smiled.

He didn't 'mean' to manipulate people, he had just been raised to do so. It was the way of the rich business-man's son, and who was he to deny his power? Heck...he'd already used it once today...

He smirked when he arrived at the school within minutes, and quickly parked his car.

He sighed, and calmly walked up what seemed like fifty steps, into the accursed building, and immediately began to ask the female population of the school if they knew where the brunette was.

Many sadly shook their heads and stared after him as he walked past. Some preceded to hang around him, and it took everything in his power to ignore them.

And Ryuichi had said that his clothes made him look gay! Hah! If that were the case, his classmates wouldn't be flirting and fawning over him, hindering him in his search. But of course, most of them had probably heard of him, or had previously seen him somewhere (blonde hair was a little hard to forget...) And knew he had been in a relationship with a woman, while Ryuichi did not, and they had probably also heard that he was now free, due to the fact that a lot of people knew Mika around town too, which would explain why there was now a mob of fan girls growing in size, walking behind him.

And he still hadn't been told where the hell Ryuichi was, and he was beginning to lose his patience...

Which is why he almost jumped out of his skin when some girl set her hand down on his shoulder.

"You said you were looking for Sanju?" She asked, face beet red from running.

"Um... yes, do you know where he is?" He managed to get out as he caught his breath again.

"Yeah, but things don't look too hot for him at the moment. I last saw him a few minutes ago about to get his ass kicked to Kyoto and back." She sweat-dropped.

Tohma blanched and began to fidget with the fur on his sleeves.

"Well, could you perhaps...uh... tell me where he is?" He asked, trying to keep a KIND smile on his face so the girl would tell him.

She bought his smile, nodding with a blush on her face.

"Oh, they're outside in the back field, behind the big blue shed. You should probably get there quickly if you want to see him before he's out cold." She smiled as he bowed in a flustered thanks and ran like a bat out of hell, out of the school to the field.

"What's with him?" She asked the collection of girls that had been following him.

None could answer.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	6. Chapter 7

Well, I've returned!

I did get a few new reviewers, so as promised, I'm updating.

This isn't the largest of chapters, but by now you've realized that my chapter lengths are all over the place. They'll always vary.

I updated my other Gravi fic before this one, Simple Amusements: A Plot by Ryuichi Sakuma. I'm sure t.a.g. will be pleased that I updated both stories right after one another.

I've also begun a new fic over the past week. I'm co-authoring with _AnitaRealityCheck_, and the fic is for the series Gundam Wing. I've known _AnitaRealityCheck_, in person, for half my life, so I'm pleased to be writing with her. The fic is titled: With or Without You, and it is posted on her profile. If you like Gundam Wing, you should go read it there, as we'd both appreciate it.

Some day we may write a Gravi fic together, so it's best to get to know her as well.

Well, onward to the fic!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi's back slammed painfully into the wall behind him, and he yelped in pain. His back had been no where near being recovered from the beating from the previous night, and his nerve endings lit up like Christmas lights. Even worse, his shoulder had hit a bent nail, and he was sure that he was not only bleeding, but that he had ruined Tohma shirt from it snagging on it.

"What's wrong Sanju? No fight left in you after your old man kicked the shit outta you?" Tanaka, the tallest of the group laughed as he yanked Ryuichi back into a standing position by his hair.

Ryuichi groaned tiredly as he clutched his stomach where he had been hit. He was being put in more pain than he had been in before, and he was REALLY starting to feel ill...It was getting to the point now where it felt like he had been hit in the head with a brick, and in the situation he was in now, he wouldn't be surprised if he really had been.

The gash on his forehead was currently bleeding once again, and he was finding that he could barely stand now. He blinked through the blood that dripped into his eye as it burned.

"Cut... it out..." He whimpered as he tried not to pass out, no matter how tempting it seemed at the current moment.

Tanaka snorted and shook his head in disbelief.

"Why would we do that? This is routine, remember! You should know that by now... This is a Monday tradition!" He laughed as he grabbed the front of Ryuichi's button down shirt.

Ryuichi felt himself lifted back up off the ground momentarrily, and he tightly shut his eyes and awaited the worst...

Only... it never came...

"It's too- hey! Owww! Let go! Stop it!" The tall teen screamed as he was yanked him backwards by his hair.

Ryuichi groaned as he was let go, and he slumped back against the shed. He cracked his eyes open to observe the sudden disturbance, and they bulged. Clearly, he HAD been hit with a brick... not only was their proof in that it lay a few feet from him, but he could clearly see Tohma latched onto Tanaka, which was totally impossible, and clearly a figment of his hopeful imagination...

"Strange... I believe he asked you to do the same thing, now didn't he?" Tohma growled as the others backed away from the now fallen Ryuichi.

Tanaka glared and pushed him away.

"What're you bringing your toys to school now Sanju?" He growled, glaring at Ryuichi who sat on the ground breathing heavily.

Ryuichi shook his head frantically in response, a pleading look on his face.

He had either totally passed out, or Tohma really WAS here in person...He didn't want him to see anything... there was no reason he had to see any of this...

He wanted it all to go away..

He curled in on himself, and began humming, trying to block out all conversation.

"Uh... Tanaka?" One of the other lackeys whispered nervously to their group leader.

"What is it?" He glared at his underling.

The poor younger boy that had interrupted him flinched a his harsh tone, and slowly stuttered.

The whole group gulped. Tanaka realized that something had them unnerved and he frowned.

"Uh... do you... know who he is?" The teen asked, hopeful that Tanaka didn't... and that he just wasn't being stupidly brave.

The teen titled his head at them.

"No... Why? Do you?" He blinked, turning his head to stare at the glaring Tohma.

Who the hell cared who he was?

Tohma couldn't help but chuckle lightly, letting a 'smile' slip across his face.

"Well, then I at least know that you're not stupid... I am Tohma Seguchi. I'll have you know, that if you lay one more hand on him, I'll make sure that your life is a living Hell. Ask your friends, that is, if you need proof otherwise. This 'Toy' is not fazed by your tough man attitude... I can do many things, more cruel than you've likely ever done, and get away with them." He glared at Tanaka, and walked over to Ryuichi.

Tanaka visibly paled and stared at the other boys around him.

"Why do you not tell me these things!" He screamed at them and stomped off quickly, the others trailing not far behind him.

Tohma fought the urge to go after them, deciding that Ryuichi's well-being was far more important than giving the snobby teen a broken nose. Besides, an assault charge would be an added hassle to deal with when he clearly had far worse problems at hand. He stepped forward, and slowly knelt done in front of Ryuichi.

"Ryu?" Tohma asked gently, lifting the brunette's chin so he could look at him.

He looked an absolute mess, still shaking from the ordeal. He was very tense, and it took some time for him to open his eyes and look at Tohma.

Ryuichi let out a quiet whine and looked up at him, confusion evident on the teen's face.

"Tohma? H-...how did you-" he stumbled on his words, getting interrupted by the blonde.

"I have my ways." Tohma smiled warmly.

"Hm..." Ryuichi gave him an unsure look, and reached up to hold his head where it was pounding the most.

Tohma frowned.

"Stay here for a moment... I'll be right back. Okay?" Tohma asked softly as he stood up.

Ryuichi grunted in response.

Where would he actually be able to get to anyway? He was ready to pass out as is...

Tohma quickly walked back towards, and into the school.

Ryuichi waited patiently for a few minutes, clutching his head, still curled in a ball, back flat against the shed. He only re-opened his eyes once Tohma's footsteps returned.

"Come on." Tohma smiled as he bent down, picking up the dazed teen.

"Tohma... what're you doing? I... I have school..." he blinked through his half closed eyes in confusion, giving a pathetic struggle against the man's arms..

"Taking you back to my apartment where you can rest. You're burning up..." Tohma sighed again as he walked them bridal style to his car and opened the door.

"But... I can't leave...I'll... get in-" He whined.

" No, you won't. I had a little talk with the principal. All is well." He smiled slightly.

Victory was always wonderful...

He gently set Ryuichi in the passenger's seat, pulling the seat belt down over him. Ryuichi returned to his curled up position in the seat, pulling his knees up to his chest. Tohma ran to the opposite door, and got in, quickly starting the engine.

" Okay... but... I still shouldn't leave..." He murmured.

Ryuichi was horror struck...

What would Tohma think of him after he'd seen all of that? He would have NEVER wanted Tohma to witness him getting beat up. And further more... how had he found him? He had clearly gone to work prior to him even waking up, that much had been evident since early morning. He'd never said a word to the blond about WHERE he went to school, just that he did poorly in it. AND to top it all off...even if he'd specifically searched for him...he hadn't told Tohma the exact truth when he'd given him his name...

So many questions hurt Ryuichi's brain, and he willed himself to stop thinking. It was too much to ask of his throbbing head at the current moment.

Sick was definitely not his best mood...

For the next few minutes, there was somewhat of an awkward silence... until Tohma's sudden outburst...

"You shouldn't have left my place in the first place!" Tohma suddenly screamed after a few minutes, banging on the steering wheel, making Ryuichi jump in shock.

"W-What?" He questioned as they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building.

Tohma stayed silent as they exited the car, Ryuichi with his arm around Tohma's shoulder. They slowly made their way into the elevator, as Ryuichi refused to use the leg that had been hurt the previous night. He was pretty sure that the leg wound had re-opened as well as it throbbed angrily.

The silence continued until they were safely in the apartment.

"You shouldn't have gone anywhere..." Tohma mumbled as he tossed the coat he was wearing and walked Ryuichi to his bed.

Ryuichi blinked again, still confused.

"Tohma? You... alright?" He asked wearily as he laid down, thankful for the soft pillow that engulfed his head.

Tohma was silent for a moment before turning to face him.

"Does... that happen... all the time?" He asked quietly, unable look Ryuichi in the face.

Ryuichi's confused look turned into a blush as he stared at the blonde sadly.

"I guess... it's not that big of a deal, really... they don't do much damage ever... I was just already in bad shape, so it took more out of me.." he sighed and looked back at the blonde, who was now sitting next to him on the bed. "Tohma...I... NEVER would have wanted you to see me like that...you shouldn't have had to. You shouldn't have come... I'd have come back after school let out..."

Tohma let out a frustrated growl and climbed onto the bed with him.

"I shouldn't have come? Ryuichi, if I hadn't have come, you would have been knocked senseless and left behind that shed for the rest of the day. As for coming back after school let out, you couldn't have done so if you couldn't walk, or if you were unconscience! What if they had really done some damage this time? What if you passed out and bled out? What then?" Tohma stared at the brunette, and grimaced.

"I...I didn't really think of it that way..." Ryuichi murmured.

"And... did... did your father really do this... to you?" Ryuichi flinched as Tohma's voice quivered slightly as he waved his hand around Ryuichi's form..

Ryuichi really didn't think he could deal with Tohma if he began to cry... he'd probably cry himself...

"No... He's not my father...Step Father... and... yeah, he did..." He whispered as he reached to touch Tohma's shoulder, only to have him move away.

"I didn't know... I... I overheard that...that bastard talking about it... I just..." The upset Tohma was silenced quickly as Ryuichi pulled him down atop of him into a gentle kiss.

Tohma let loose a whimper and turned his head away from him breaking the kiss. He immediately turned back to him, to reassure him that it was not a rejection, just not a proper time.

Ryuichi sighed and slipped one arm around Tohma's neck.

"Don't worry about it... you couldn't have done anything... I went to school today because I felt that I had to, not because you weren't here... I'll be fine Tohma. I'll be sparkly again in a few days or so..." Ryuichi sighed, content with the weight of Tohma on his body, the dull aching only a random thought in the back of his head.

"Sp...sparkly?" Tohma mumbled as the upset look was suddenly replaced with a look of pure confusion.

Ryuichi chuckled lightly.

"I'll explain some other time... must sleepy-sleep..." he mumbled, letting Tohma rolled off of him to lay next to him.

"Thank you..." Ryuichi smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around the blushing keyboardist's neck, cuddling up against his warm body.

Tohma sighed.

It felt kinda nice just laying there with him... but he'd have to do something. He couldn't just let his newly found vocalist and lover go back home just to get slapped around even more. He wasn't so sure that the brunette's tiny body could take anymore than it already had.

He'd think of something while he laid there.

He had to...

He watched him sleep for quite some time, thinking about the days events thus far. He hadn't made Ryuichi explain anything...not yet. He needed to sleep more than Tohma needed the truth.

But Tohma WOULD need to know...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

This chapter is finished! Hope that you have enjoyed it, and that you will return for the next.

Please review, as it lets me know how you are liking the fic as it progresses.

Reviews also motivate me into posting the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 8

I've returned! So sorry for the wait! I typed myself out...I'm honestly working on too many fics at once...but that can't be helped, can't just up and stop writing any of them, just means updates will have longer intervals in-between I guess.

Itty bitty fact about this story... it's part of a 3 part series,

**Nittle Grasper: Beginnings** Part 1. This story will cover everything that happens until Tohma and Eiri go to New York.

**Burgundy: A New York Experience** Part 2. Will begin to be posted after Nittle Grasper: Beginnings is complete. This covers the entire New York experience, as well as Tohma and Eiri's lives from there after until the original Gravitation plot begins. *Note: I follow the manga rather than the show*

**Bad Luck: Understandings** Part 3. The gravitation manga series comes before this. I dive right into new plot after manga #12. I ignore EX's existence. This is life after volume 12. Very Dramatic.

For now, you may concentrate on the story at hand. I decided to split my Gravitation plot in 3 bits to make writing more manageable. I hope to see you all until the end :)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma sighed, shifting in the bed as he lay beside Ryuichi.

Ryuichi had been asleep for over an hour now, but his own head was too filled with worry to sleep. He couldn't just lay down and forget what had gone down the previous night... He'd probably have nightmares about a bloody Ryuichi falling into his arms for the rest of his life...

But what could he do?

This wasn't something he was used to... He wasn't informed about how to deal with abusive parents or guardians... It had never been a problem for him.

Tohma sighed once more. It was becoming a habit...

There was only one thing he really could do, and that was to confront the man...

He carefully slid out from underneath the brunette and out from the blankets, earning a groan of protest from the sleeping teen. Making sure he hadn't woken him up in retreating, he paused momentarily until Ryuichi's breathing evened out again.

Tohma then slipped his jacket back on, and silently snuck out the door, making his way towards his car.

Tohma didn't know what to expect from this man, but he was prepared for anything...or so he hoped...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I can't stand him sometimes! I can't help it Noriko! He just really GETS to me, and I can't stand it...The nerve of him...showing up at our school and not even saying hello to me! As if I don't exist anymore!" Mika growled to her best friend that sat in front of her.

Noriko sighed.

"But... well, that's Tohma for you. He can be scary, strange, and annoying all at the same time. That's how he's always been. He's just been a little stressed out over the past few weeks because of his father...all the work that man expects him to do, on top of managing a few classes...and then the band... And then we had to throw the loss of Shinya on top of all that? Give him time. We just got a new vocalist. Give him some time to settle down and teach the guy the ropes, and he'll be back to how he was before! Hopefully..." Noriko winced. "He's been worrying me too, but that's not the point... He does stupid things when you're not with him, so you two need to hurry up and make up! He gets all weird when you're not around to push him in the right direction." Noriko laughed and smiled slightly at the confused look on Mika's face.

Mika blinked and shook her head, bringing her hand up to rub her temples.

"Maybe I don't want to know... but I'm not going to calm down so easily. He can wait. He always does... He can calm down first... Then we'll see what happens..." She sighed heavily and took a bite of her ramen.

After all, it was lunch time... might as well take advantage of the situation...

Noriko slouched in her chair at this but decided to give up. There was never any way to pressure Mika into anything.

"Okay... I trust that you know what you're doing, but I still think he needs some guidance right now... But you do what you want. It's your life. I'm just trying to look out for both of my friends. You know how it goes..." Noriko laughed and threw her wrappers and cartons in the garbage behind them.

Mika smiled weakly.

"Thank you... At least with you I have an opinion."

Noriko could only give her a sad look.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma groaned as he continued to drive towards the house that was Ryuichi's.

Just thinking about how far he had, had to run to get to his apartment made him sick.. He had been in way too bad of condition to have run so far...especially in the rain. It was no wonder that he'd fainted once finally getting to him

He took a deep breath, thankful that he had gotten both the address of the school, and the address of Ryuichi's home early on in the day... Just in case... he ended up needing it after all. Maybe he had a sixth sense for knowing when he'd need certain bits of information, even if he didn't need it at the time of finding it?

Though he'd have preferred to have NOT needed his address...it would have been a much more pleasant situation...

Tohma finally managed to come down the block where Ryuichi's home was. He gave a weak smile when all parking was already taken, meaning that Ryuichi's step father had to be home. Saved him the trouble of either having to track the man down, or waste hours waiting for him to show up.

He exited the car, taking a deep breath before starting towards the building. Amazingly, as he got to the front door to the house, the door was conveniently unlocked.

Naturally, he let himself in...

Big Mistake...

The man he had come to confront must have heard the door open and shut, because he began to scream throughout the house immediately.

"Brat! Where the hell have you been!" Tohma flinched as the man's loud, angered voice echoed through the building. "How dare you run out like that! You should take things like a man should! How many times do I have to tell your pansy ass to suck it up and be a man-" Tohma had to fight his sudden burst of anger as the man rounded the corner into the living room ,where he spotted Tohma.

The man froze, a look of angry confusion apparent on his face.

"Well... I'll say that, that proves that you're definitely the culprit in the situation... Doesn't it?" Tohma glared at the shocked man who dropped his cigarette in the moment of confusion.

He didn't bother to retrieve it.

"Who the Hell are you? And what makes you think that you can just walk into my house and begin to rag on me? You don't even know me!" He snarled, stepping on the cigarette to put it out, leaving a melted circle in its place.

Tohma frowned.

"I am a friend of your son-" Tohma began.

Unfortunately, Tohma was not to get another word in yet as a snarl ripped loose from the other man's throat and he stormed over to the blonde.

" That... thing, is not my son!" Tohma jumped as the man began to yell once more, his voice booming loudly mere feet from Tohma's ears. "It's his poor lunatic mother's spawn! Don't EVER try to relate me to him! Besides, you're not REALLY a friend, are you? You're some young pathetic queer sugar-daddy that stupidly chose that worthless brat as a whore. And now, you're upset that I roughed him up a bit! Am I right?" He smirked at Tohma's look of horror and shook his head as he laughed.

Tohma was shocked.

He had never heard anyone speak so crudely about anyone or anything! And no one had ever even had the thought of speaking to him like that cross their poor pathetic minds...

He was already extremely pissed, but now?

Now he was furious...

Tohma regained his composure and straightened himself before speaking

"I don't know what makes you think that you can speak to me like that, but you are very much in the wrong!" Tohma growled, trying extremely hard not to begin waling on the man before him.

He could easily get sued for it, and he didn't feel like court...

Manipulation, yes...

Beating the crap out of someone was definitely a no...

The man grunted, unamused with Tohma's sudden display of anger, and walked even closer to the blonde.

"I'm wrong am I?" he raised an eyebrow, smirking at Tohma who was a decent bit shorter than him. " I don't think so. You're one of those rich pretty boys that just don't want their property touched by anyone other then them! I can tell. You don't spend to much time outside, you're too pale. Your obviously mixed, your hair couldn't possibly be so light otherwise...one of your parents a damn Gaijin! You're wearing a black and grey, feathered trench coat, and you're defending someone you probably don't even really know." Tohma's eyes widened, unable to believe that Ryuichi had been living with this man... "What? Did he fly out of the house like a bat outta hell to you? Did he want you to comfort his pitiful body, make him feel better about himself-"

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!" Tohma screamed as he stomped towards the idiotic man in anger, putting them only inches apart.

The man laughed, and shoved Tohma in the chest forcing him backwards.

"Did I hit a sore spot? It's all true. I know. Otherwise you wouldn't be so flustered. Hitting me will only do you harm, so I suggest that you refrain from doing so, and if you care about that brat so much, keep him! Then I won't have to listen to his indecent whining 24/7... It's fucking annoy-"

Tohma was now fuming...and felt no hesitation in interrupting the man before him.

"I suggest that you shut your mouth immediately! You have NO idea what I am capable of! Do not underestimate me! A few dials of the phone, and your whole life goes down the drain!" Tohma growled

By this point, he was shaking. By this point, Tohma wasn't even sure if any of his threats would be of use. with rage, and it only irked him more that the man before him could care less about the whole situation. Tohma was sure he had NEVER been so angry before...

"Really?" The man snorted, causing Tohma to twitch. " What are you? Yakuza? There's no possible way that you could effect me other wise, and if so... you could easily be arrested. You've already broken and entered, and they'd be glad to get another blackmailing delinquent off the streets."

Tohma's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the collar of the man's shirt

"No... I'm not, and I have no intentions of getting arrested! You, however, I'm not too sure about! You could easily be thrown into jail for what you did to him! You can't beat the crap out of someone like that! What would you have done if I had, had to send him to the hospital?" Tohma fought the urge to spit in the man's face...

That sort of thing would get him nowhere, and likely make the situation worse. If the man decided to lash out at him...well...he wasn't exactly the most athletic...and he'd never been forced into a situation where he had to defend himself. Things could easily go badly for him, and he didn't want to chance it.

The man smirked, tearing away from Tohma's grasp.

"Nothing. They'd do absolutely nothing. He's been there before. Each time it's the same thing. They think he got into another fight with those boys at school. Hell! They're younger than him and he still gets the shit kicked out of him! How pathetic can you get?" He laughed lightly as Tohma continued to glare at him. "Hey, you just going to give me dirty looks all night? Or are you going to get his crap outta my house and leave me the hell alone?" He coughed and raised an eyebrow at Tohma, who had lost all patience, but had manage to shove all thoughts of killing the man out of his head.

Tohma's eyes turned to slits.

"Gladly. I came here to see what had happened, and to see how you acted... This home is obviously not suited to have Ryuichi in it as long as you are here, so I am removing him. Count yourself lucky that I do not report you to authorities." he growled between clenched teeth.

The man waved him away.

"You couldn't do anything if you tried! Anyway, the bastard's room is straight down the hall. He doesn't have much, so you won't need to come here multiple times and annoy the fuck out of me." He grumbled as he walked into the kitchen to get himself a beer.

Tohma watched him walk away, and couldn't help letting loose a frustrated yell. He could hear Ryuichi's step father chuckling to himself as he rummaged through the fridge. Tohma bit into his cheek to keep his mouth shut, as he slowly walked towards what where Ryuichi's room was said to be. He didn't know what he'd be presented with when he opened the door. Nothing would surprise him at this point. He was livid...

How anyone could treat someone so cruelly, he'd never know... The man thought he could do nothing to him, huh?

He'd see...

Tohma took a deep breath, and turned the knob, letting the door swing open. Tohma let his tensed up shoulder sag in sadness. The man had been telling the truth... The room WAS pretty bare. Just some clothes, far less than a person as old as Ryuichi should have, most of which were bits belonging to school uniforms, a few CDs, a CD player, a photo album, and a backpack... There was no dresser, just a small laundry bin, and there was a mattress, no frame or box spring.

It was quite sad, seeing that someone had so little even though their guardian could easily afford so much more...

He immediately felt bad that Ryuichi had been brought into his home, which held expensive items, whether for recreation, or even just the furniture...it was amazing how much he took advantage of just because he had the money. Seeing What Ryuichi lived with had definitely given him a sudden new perspective on a lot of things...

He sighed and sat on the bed to calm himself momentarily.

What was next? If Ryuichi wasn't going to live with his stepfather anymore, he'd have to stay with him. Tohma wasn't sure he could have it any other way after this...The guy clearly needed some close companionship and some loving care. There was no way he could have him live on his own, and with them currently being together, there was no reason to.

But currently, his apartment was way too small, meaning that he'd have to get a new, larger one...

Tohma groaned...he was never fond of moving. He liked knowing where all of his things were, and he was never fond of others, whim he did not know, touching his personal belongings, but packing and moving himself was far too much of a hassle...

But, of course, all of that could be arranged later...

Tohma groaned and lifted himself off of the bed, then shakily picked up the one large box that held all of the brunette's belongings.

One box...

He quietly shut the bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. He paused, glancing at a pile of papers on the desk against the far wall.

"Bingo..." Tohma grinned.

As he finally re-reached the living room, Tohma became aware that Ryuichi's step-father had returned. He had seated himself on the threadbare couch, and currently had a basketball game on the television. He ignored Tohma's presence...but not for long...

Tohma sighed and stopped directly in front of the man, blocking his view of the T.V. This earned him a nasty look from the man. Before he could voice his opinion though, Tohma smiled at the disgusting man.

It was HIS 'smile'.

"What the hell's that look for fairy boy?" He growled as he glared angrily at the blonde.

Tohma chuckled.

"I hope you have a GOOD day at work later. I'm sure that you'll have a nice 'chat' with your boss... " his voice dripped with sarcasm. "I noticed that you work at a construction company...There were papers in the hall near the rooms. You work for Shinai Taira. He just happens to be a contractor under my father, Tenshu Seguchi." Tohma's 'smile' grew larger as he watched the man pale.

He chuckled while he walked towards the door and then opened it. He then turned to face the pitiful man behind him.

"One more thing... If I find out that anytime in the future that you have tried to hurt Ryu again, even just by contacting him without him contacting you first, you'll find yourself in laying in a gutter... this is not a threat, but an honest fact. Good day..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, another shortish chapter, but I have to cut things off.

I will update shortly, whenever This story ends up on my agenda. I hope I won't keep you waiting long!

I know...I keep making Ryuichi's life before the band a nightmare, but I feel it explains some of his personality quirks. Things will get better for him...soon...

If this chapter had more spelling/grammar issues, I apologize...I've finished it at 3am after most of my basement got half an inch of flooding due to the window sealants busting...soooo much water to push towards the drain... and it's a finished basement...so I had to quickly move furniture to dry spots to avoid them getting wet... so I'm only half coherent..lol...


	8. Chapter 9

Hello everyone!

I'm back with chapter 9 at last!

Hope you enjoy it!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma growled as he stomped back to his car in frustration.

The nerve of that man!

To throw his deceased wife's son out as if he were nothing!

Yes, he may have problems with his own family, but NOTHING ever got this out of hand...family members may have each other, but they at least had the decency to be civil towards one another. This case was just pure abuse...and he could not for the life of him understand why Ryuichi had put up with it, however long his had been going on.

He only realized then that he had no clue how long this had continued...It could have been months...or even years...

He shuddered at the thought.

He had intended on finding out from the stepfather what exactly had gone off course with the family, but all thoughts of questions had gone out the door once the man had started...

He slid the box onto the hood of his car and leaned against the side of the car. He pulled out his phone, and quickly called around, acquiring the phone number he needed. After giving a quick explanation to Shinai Taira, and receiving rapid apologies for not realizing what had been going on, Taira quickly agreed with Tohma, and began to work on firing the man that Tohma now hated more than anyone or anything he had ever disliked. Taira agreed that he didn't want that sort working for him, and that he could find work elsewhere.

Tohma considered black listing the man... but what he;'d already done was enough.

He sighed, slipping the phone back into his coat, and carefully tossed the box in the back seat as he slid back into the car. Taking one last hateful glare at the building, he sped off.

Tohma was usually quite the calm driver, but calmness wasn't within him currently...

So, unlike his normal self, he flew down the streets, enjoying the wind that whipped around him from the open window for a short while before he stopped at a park to sit at a bench and calm himself.

He didn't want to upset the man he was about to call. No need to burn anymore bridges today...

Now that he had the responsibility of taking care of Ryuichi, he also needed to house him, and he really didn't have the room. He's moved into the one room apartment to have a place of his own. He hadn't needed anything large, just something with the needed amount of space, and a place that would get him as far from home as he could get without leaving town.

So, naturally... the only way to fix the problem, was to move.

He couldn't handle such a small living space... a one person home was a one person home, otherwise people begin to suffer from claustrophobia... and Tohma hated that feeling.

Tohma took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and dialed the number on the phone, allowing it to ring until someone answered.

"Yes, yes... what is it?" A man, obviously just awakened, answered groggily.

Tohma smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, but this is quite urgent..." Tohma sighed and opened a bottled water he had grabbed from the car.

He heard the phone clatter to the floor, and he resisted the urge to laugh. He'd caght the man off guard.

"Oh! Seguchi-sama... didn't know it was you. You should say something... What is it that you need?" The man seemed to instantly perk up as he realized who he was conversing with.

"Well, as you are aware of, I currently live in a one room apartment, which is quite enough for me, but I am now in need of a two room. I now have a room-mate and we need a larger living space. It would be nice to find what I'm looking for in or around the same area. I also would like to keep my privacy, as you know, so make it high up, and elevator equipped. I will not climb to reach my living space... have you found anything fitting yet?" Tohma asked, smiling as there was a long silence with only the sounds of typing in the background.

Tohma tapped the bench as he waited patiently. The man had never failed him before.

"...yes, about two blocks west of your current residence... I'll arrange it with the owner... Anything else?" The man asked calmly.

Tohma smiled. He had been through this a couple times before... the man was always so helpful...

"Yes. Arrange for a moving van immediately. Have them ready at waiting for me in fifteen minutes at my current residence...you know what I have, judge the truck size needed yourself. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, it's as good as done. Talk to you later Seguchi."

Tohma glanced at his watch and smiled as he threw himself back into the car.

What would Ryuichi say after this? After all, Tohma wasn't blind. He could already tell that the brunette didn't really believe that he really cared... But how could you really hope after being treated so badly by so many people?

Tohma was sure that he'd believe now, however...

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma smiled as he silently walked back into his room and looked down at Ryuichi.

He was still out like a rock, and it didn't seem as though he'd wake up anytime soon.

He had arrived home only seconds ago to find the rental truck and movers already there awaiting his command.

He smiled and gently picked the sleeping teen up into is arms, and carried him out to his car, careful as to not wake him.

He smiled and waved to the movers, giving them the okay to begin their work.

Why pack when others could do it for you?

They break anything, they have to pay for it... and since most of his stuff was expensive, they were always extra careful with his things.

He sighed and restarted the car, driving off to the location of THEIR new residence. He pulled up to see the landlord waiting patiently for him with the keys and lease. He smiled at her tiredly and filled out the necessary forms, wrote the necessary checks, and received the keys, before quickly handing them over to the movers who quickly arrived with the 1st load of furniture and whatnot.

They immediately began to haul the couch and bed up into the apartment, followed by Tohma, carrying Ryuichi.

Tohma wanted to at least set the bed up so he could set Ryuichi back down to sleep, then he could run out and get a few more things and come back to have the movers rearrange everything to his liking. Ryuichi did not wake. The last few days of events had clearly finally taken their toll on him. Hopefully his body would recover well, and then Tohma could help his mind recover as well.

He quickly warned the movers not to wake the teen up, and then set him down as he turned and raced back to the car.

Today would be a long day...

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma smiled.

With all said and done, the new apartment looked quite good. He had bought some new furniture (necessary when he felt that Ryuichi should have every piece of furniture any person normally had, even if he knew Ryuichi would likely end up in HIS bed..), a stereo, food, other necessary items, and... a camera.

It really wasn't necessary, but he had gotten the camera anyway... After all, Ryuichi DID have the minimally filled photo album. He could fill it up some more, and Tohma himself had already snapped a picture of the sleeping Ryuichi, he couldn't resist...

But now? Now he was currently staring down at him, watching his chest rise and fall. He slept so peacefully, it was a shame that he was going to have to wake up now...

"Ryu?" He asked quietly as he gently shook him, though it seemed as though not even a bomb wake him at the moment.

Tohma sighed and chuckled lightly as he picked up the glass of water he had been drinking earlier and flicked a few drops of it in the brunette's face.

"Neh! Nooooo... sleeping... tired..."Ryu grumbled, swatting at the air, and began to chew on the pillow he was clinging to.

"Ryuichi, wake up."

Ryuichi whimpered and sat up, groaning in protest.

"Well! I was beginning to think you were dead with the way you stayed asleep through everything!" Tohma laughed as Ryuichi stared sleepily at him.

" Through... everything? What happened, did- " Ryuichi paused and blinked as he observed the room. "...Tohma? Why's the room different?" Ryuichi whined and turned to Tohma who was uncharacteristically laughing his ass off.

"Well, why don't you get up and see for yourself?" Tohma smiled and helped the confused teen up.

Ryuichi stumbled slightly as he slid out of the bed. He walked cautiously to the door, eyes widening in shock as he realized that there was no possible way that they were in the same apartment, and he spun around frantically to look at the blonde.

"Toh...ma?" He whimpered questioningly.

Tohma sighed and smiled at him.

"Well...you see... Don't be angry with me please, I couldn't help myself...I kinda went to speak with your stepfather, and he was a complete bloody fucking idiot... the nerve of him... and uh, well... welcome home?" He smiled nervously as Ryuichi only stared at him in silence.

Tohma winced at the silence and watched Ryuichi closely as his eyes bulged.

The silence was short lived however, and it was broken quite loudly as Ryuichi sunk to the floor crying hysterically.

"Ack! Ryu! What's wrong? I mean... I REALLY didn't mean to upset you, or freak you out, and... ah...oh my..." Tohma panicked as he crouched next to sobbing teen setting his hands on his shoulders, and Ryuichi immediately threw himself into his arms, snuggling into his neck, still sniffling.

"Uh...Ryu?" Tohma blushed and wrapped his arms around the brunette as Ryuichi tried to calm himself.

He just wasn't used to such rapid mood swings, but he was sure that he'd get used to it...

Eventually...

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to put you through that! Really, I didn't... He's horrible, just plain horrible... He...He didn't do anything to you, did he?" He whimpered, looking up at Tohma's face, a blush evident on it.

Tohma breathed a sigh of relief and let loose a small laugh.

"No. No he didn't... Everything's fine, he just... threw you out..."

Ryuichi tensed.

"Oh... well... I-I really don't want to burden you or anything... You've already done a lot and-" Ryuichi murmured as he found interest in the hard wood floor.

Tohma paled.

"No! I didn't mean it like that! Not at all... after I saw how he was... I was planning on demanding that you stay with me. I WANT you here. Otherwise I would have thrown you out already, and I wouldn't have bothered to go get you at school... I really, really do care... though it's probably hard to believe. I understand... I really do... I don't want you to go. Just... stay here, and everything will be fine. You can do whatever you want, and act however you want, I don't care." Tohma smiled and wiped the tears from Ryuichi's face.

"You... mean it? You want me here?"

Tohma nodded.

"Of course."

Ryuichi smiled and laughed happily for a moment before pushing Tohma quickly onto his back and smashing his lips against his.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Noriko had let herself into Tohma's apartment as per usual. Only... she stopped in dead confusion as she walked through the door, as she came upon an empty apartment. No sign that Tohma had ever once even lived there.

"What the hell?"

It confused the hell out of her...

That is, until she found the note taped to the wall addressed to her.

_Noriko,_

_Well... you must be REALLY puzzled at the moment..._

_But that's expected..._

_I guess I should start with the emptiness, huh?_

_Well, I moved into a bigger apartment. Ryuichi's moved in too..._

_Yes I know that it's quick, but you didn't open your front door to have him fall on you covered in blood... I'll explain later when we can talk in person, but I took him away from it all. It'll be convenient, after all... He IS our new band mate. Yo would not BELIEVE the conditions of his home life... and well..._

_You know..._

_I think... I might actually love him..._

_I know... you must think I'm an insane fool..._

_But I really do..._

_Anyway..._

_I'll see you tomorrow, I'm already quite tired while writing this, and I'm sure that I still have much to do._

_Ja!_

_~Tohma_

Noriko paled and stared at the note.

It was official.

Tohma Seguchi...

Age nineteen...

Had completely gone insane...

And gay...

Without Mika Uesugi...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bit of a short chapter, but meh... I've done worse.

Sorry for the long wait with this chapter...I'm working on way too many fics at once, and it's taking it's toll.

*Note, I re-posted this chapter with corrections made... I totally didn't spell check originally...just rushed to post, lol...


	9. Chapter 10

I am soooo incredibly sorry!

I've been gone far too long T-T

I intended to be back on the 20th, but...dogs took up ALL of my time for quite a while.

I'll be updating everything shortly, hopefully one after another until it's done X-X

This chapter should please many of you...not only is there plenty of Ryuichi x Tohma love, it's also a rather long chapter. I guess it's my way of making it up to you guys, lol

I did raise the rating of this fic. In general, the fic is rather tame, it just gets not so much so at points :)

Again, read and review please. Keeps the motivation going if I know people are reading my fics!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma gasped in shock as his back hit the floor, Ryuichi straddling him, and his mouth upon his own.

"Ryu?" He asked uncertainly when the brunette pulled away.

Tohma paled slightly as he stared up at a serious looking, yet evilly smirking Ryuichi. For someone who'd really only been bouncing, hurt, or sad during most of their time together, then sudden change unnerved him. He recalled the same look being upon Ryuichi's face at some point during the bar fiasco, but much of that night had become a blur after that 3rd drink...

"Mmm, Tohma... thank you..." Ryuichi purred, still smirking as Tohma blushed and squirmed when he whispered in his ear.

Tohma let out a nervous laugh and attempted to dislodge Ryuichi from his roost.

"Y-Your welcome...but...what are you-" He yelped during his struggle as Ryuichi only gripped him tighter, and pressed his body against his chest.

"Hush!" Ryuichi hissed, crushing his lips back against the blonde's.

Tohma's eyes widened, and he whimpered as Ryuichi forced his arms above his head and pinned them there.

He could not deny that he was enjoying this. Not only did he not think he could form a logical sentence by this point, but his body betrayed him quite obviously, and Ryuichi had already noticed that.

"Tohma...?" Ryuichi whined, pulling away from him.

He licked Tohma's lower lip, begging for entrance. Getting no response, Ryuichi once again connected his lips with Tohma's and groaned as the blonde slowly, finally, opened his mouth.

Tohma was now beet red. His heart raced, and he was rather sure his body was vibrating in panic. Sure, they had done this before...far more than they were currently doing in fact, but he had been trashed, and didn't remember a thing that had happened.

Therefore, in his mind, this... situation... was still REALLY weird and foreign to him.

"Ryu..." Tohma gasped, finally managing to get a hold of himself, pulling away from Ryuichi's hungry lips, "I think maybe-maybe we should wait... I mean it... it feels-" Tohma stopped mid-sentence to throw his head back in a moan as Ryuichi's hand crept up his chest, shirt unknowingly unbuttoned by the brunette's free hand.

Ryuichi only laughed at his reaction.

"Hush Tohma... enjoy..." He smiled and gently began to suck the crack of Tohma's neck, earning a quick sigh from the blonde.

"You're... impossible...you know that?" Tohma giggled lightly as Ryuichi nodded quickly in response, his more 'innocent' self momentarily reappearing .

"Can't help it... you've made me soooo happy... you know that Tohma? You really, really have... and I'm going to prove that..." Ryuichi smirked, trailing off, and slid his hand back down Tohma's chest, and let it snake it's way down to the buttons of the blonde's dress pants.

"You do know how strange you are... don't you? Kami help us all if you ever do drugs..." Tohma chuckled as Ryuichi gave him a quick lick on the cheek.

"Don't know what you're talking about, but that doesn't really matter... now does it? Hm, Tohma?" Ryuichi laughed as Tohma squeaked when he was suddenly picked up and tossed on the bed..

Tohma quickly sat back up and stared at the brunette, who seemed amused at his actions.

"Floors ARE uncomfortable, aren't they? I think they are, don't know about you, but I'm sure it's all the same."

Ryuichi withheld his laughter as he crawled onto the bed in front of Tohma when the blonde began to back away from him.

"You're quite skittish, aren't you? I mean in general. You don't seem like a people person..."

Tohma bowed his head in embarrassment and briefly shook it.

"I'm... not that used to such situations as these... I find myself around meetings and such, not intimate situations. Whoever I was last time has locked himself up, so this is still new to me..." Tohma blushed in embarrassment as Ryuichi scooted between his legs and ran a hand up his thigh.

"Tohma..." Ryuichi giggled, and began to undo the Tohma's pants.

As if the world around them knew just how out of his comfort zone Tohma was, Beethoven's 5th sounded throughout the room.

"Ignore it!" The brunette whined as Tohma, in Ryuichi's moment of distraction, slid out of his grasp, diving for his coat.

"Can't!" Tohma rapidly replied.

It wasn't as though he was unable to ignore it, it was just the perfect excuse to get him out of the uncomfortable situation... Not that he didn't like the attention, it just felt strange...

Ryu could wait a while longer...

"Yes, what's wrong?" Tohma asked with a sigh as Noriko's angered voice rang out into his ear.

Tohma quickly pulled the phone a few inches from his ear to avoid deafness.

"What in the name of Buddha is going on! I come to see you after school and I find an empty apartment! You're lucky that Mika wasn't with me, she would have had a heart attack! You can't leave notes like that laying around... And you moved in with him? You're insane!" Noriko shouted in her mother-like voice at the top of her lungs, making Tohma flinch every few seconds.

Ryuichi sunk slightly into the bed, hearing each word clear as day as Noriko's harpy pitched voiced echoed from the phone throughout the room..

Tohma was unaware...for he was used to it...

"I'm not crazy... just sleep deprived..." Tohma groaned and rubbed his temples.

Noriko snorted.

"Well, you're still lucky that I didn't have Mika with me. It would kill her to find out that her boyfriend was shacking up with a gay lover slash bandmate... Just apologize already! I talked to her today, and she basically just wants you to calm down a bit. Say you're sorry, and I'm sure that you two will be back together. You two have been together too long to just break everything off because of one teensy little fight. You got together with Ryu because you were drunk. Your only intention was to get him to be our new vocalist, nothing more. You can't tell me that you don't feel really weird with a guy being all over you, can you?"

"No... I do... but that's not the point! I said that I was going to-"

"TRY, and you have. You've told me that it feels wrong! Isn't that enough proof to tell you that you're not gay? I'm sure that he's a great guy, and probably a wonderful friend, but not a good choice for a partner. At least not for you..."

Tohma eyes narrowed and he began to pace the room.

"You're only saying that because Mika's like a sister to you...and I never said that it felt WRONG... I said that it felt weird. There's a difference... listen... this might work, and it might not, but I'm not going to end things just because someone tells me to. I'll end them because I feel that they have to. AND it wasn't just some little fight, it was a rather large one AND we're ALWAYS getting into these fights Noriko..." He growled.

A frustrated groan answered him.

"Fine, whatever... your grave you're digging... But, I'm curious... what did you mean by opening the door to have him fall on you, covered in blood?" She asked, very curious as to what their new singer had gotten into.

" He... got attacked... That's why I grabbed everything and moved. I care too much to have him live on the streets, or getting the crap beat out of him all of the time. He doesn't need it... And I'm sure that he's not appreciating this conversation either..." Tohma paled, just then noticing that Ryuichi had been hanging on every word of the conversation.

Noriko gagged.

"He's listening!"

Tohma frowned and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"How could he not be? I could toss the phone across the room and still hear you... I'm sure he's getting upset over you too, so I think I'll have to let you go now, alright? Bye!" Tohma quickly hung the phone up and switched it off, turning back to the brunette on the bed.

Ryuichi sat in the middle of the bed, head in hands as Tohma walked up to him.

Tohma took a deep breath, and slowly released it before kneeling upon the mattress.

"Ryu, I'm sure she'll calm do-"

"You...have a girlfriend?" Ryuichi half whimpered, half whispered in question.

Tohma sighed.

"...yes, and no...I did, but we broke up not too long before I met you... really...we're not together now, and frankly, I don't intend on making up with her... No matter what Noriko thinks... I'm with YOU not her...Trust me, I'm with you, and only you, and that's how I want it..." Tohma murmured as he slid onto the bed and crawled towards Ryuichi.

'Now or never...' Tohma mentally whimpered, and crawled straight into the brunette's lap.

"Tohma?" Ryuichi blinked as Tohma slid his arms around his neck.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" Ryuichi blinked and blushed as the blonde nuzzled his cheek and licked his ear lightly.

"Whatever do you mean, Ryu?" Tohma with-held a giggle as he looked at the flustered teen's face.

All fear he had before slipped away as in amusement Ryuichi himself began to squirm. Clearly he felt out of place once not in charge.

"Just a moment ago you were wanting to get away... now you're all over me! And you say that my mood flops weirdly!" The brunette whined.

"Ryuichi?" Tohma started.

"What?" Ryuichi cocked his head.

Tohma paused, and shook his head... questions could wait for later.

"Never mind..." He chuckled, staring down at Ryuichi's bewildered face.

"Mmkay..." Ryuichi smiled, although clearly unsure about the situation, and slid the unbuttoned shirt off of Tohma onto the floor.

The blonde's dress pants came next, leaving him clad only in pale blue boxers, and his socks.

Tohma sighed.

It couldn't really be that bad, could it? Otherwise he would have been dead the day after the last time, in which he wasn't. He had just been a bit sore...

Tohma was jolted out of his thought process, and he groaned as Ryuichi's mouth found his collarbone, and he began to nip and suck at it. Ryuichi chuckled lightly and flipped them over, returning to their prior positioning.

"You're strange. Very strange Tohma..." Ryuichi smiled, nodding, as he lay on top of Tohma, head resting on one hand.

"How so?" Tohma managed in a gasp, still out of breath from Ryuichi's touches.

"You... don't want this. You're not ready, and all you need to do is tell me... You don't have to play along. Tell me to stop, without feeling guilty, and I will." Ryuichi smiled softly as he stared into the blonde's eyes.

"We can... wait?" Tohma blinked, sitting up slowly.

Ryuichi nodded.

"Then... can we? It won't take long... I'm sure. Like I said... I'm not really used to anything ... intimate. Mika never really expected more than a small kiss. In a way it was disappointing, but at the same time, I was always relieved. I don't know what to do with myself, and I guess that's what's so unnerving for me." Tohma sighed and glanced up worriedly at the brunette.

"Uh huh. Waiting's okay! But... one thing." Ryuichi smiled weakly.

"What?"

"Can I at least sleep in here with you?" Ryuichi seemed to plead.

Tohma blinked.

The thought of him actually ASKING had never really crossed his mind...

"By all means, go ahead. It would be nice to have the company." Tohma smiled, as Ryuichi tackled him back into the pillows.

"YAY! Tohma let me stay, Tohma let me stay!" He began chanting as he got up and danced across the room.

Then suddenly, Ryuichi paused and swayed on the spot.

"Ryuichi!" Tohma gasped, stumbling off of the bed, as Ryuichi sunk to the floor clutching his head.

"Neh...got up too fast..." he laughed nervously.

'What am I going to do with you?' Tohma smiled and sighed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi stayed in bed most of the day. Between his injuries and the fever earlier in the day combined with his suddenly lusty rampage, Ryuichi had been down for the count. Tohma had redressed himself, and had gone back out to get groceries. He's returned not too long afterwards. As night approached, Ryuichi carefully slipped out of bed, going slow to avoid another dizzy spell. His bandaged feet throbbed but the cool wood quickly soothed the pain. Tohma watched him carefully, ready to bolt out and catch him at any given moment if it became necessary. Thankfully, Ryuichi managed this task on his own, and side by side they left Tohma's room.

"Well Ryuichi, as you can see, most things are still in boxes. Most of it is mine, obviously, but this box by the door," he pointed to their front door. " is yours from your house. I won't begin to voice my disappointment on how little there is in there. But, my point it, I'd like you to HELP me put things away. Even though you don't have much yet, I still want you to have your say in where things go."

Ryuichi just nodded, and continued to look around the apartment. Tohma had brought him into this new apartment...and he was fairly sure that it was larger than the HOUSE he'd been living in, let al9one Tohma's tiny, yet well furnished, apartment he'd been in before.

"Why did you pick such a large place?" He whined. " This has got to cost way, WAY more than your last place!" He eyed Tohma angrily, although the blonde just brushed his glare off with a soft smile.

"I figured I could use some change. I like my space, and with 2 people there needs to be plenty. I suppose I MIGHT have gone slightly over the top, but that just means we have to do a bit of shopping to fill the excess up, no biggie!" He laughed as Ryuichi's eyes bulged slightly.

Ryuichi was in no way EVER going to ask Tohma just how much money he actually had...he didn't even want to think about it.

The apartment WAS over the top. The living room was extremely large. A widespread hobby/library type room lay off to one side, with a rather large kitchen coming off of the other. Behind them, where they had come from, lay three doors. The one on the far left led to Tohma's room, from which they had came. The room itself had been huge (and had scared the crap out of him upon his awakening...). The middle, as Ryuichi found out, led to a nice sized bathroom with a large mirror, and even larger comfy looking tub (which Ryuichi vowed to take advantage of later.) The bathroom contained three doors, connecting it to both rooms and the outside living room. The door on the far right had led to the room Tohma strictly told him was his, despite his complaints.

"Ryuichi, after all this time of having very little, I'm letting you have all your own personal things too!" Tohma had huffed, refusing to speak on it any longer.

They'd at the very least agreed to leave the rest of unpacking for the following day, and instead, Tohma had broken out the good ole fishy apron, and had started dinner. Ryuichi could NOT deny that he was starving, and hummed loudly and enthusiastically as Tohma raged over the stove. Ryuichi just sat comfortably at the table watching him happily.

It the mean time, Tohma cooked quickly, deciding that simple grilled cheeses were all that was necessary, while he let his thoughts run rampant in his head. He had yet to think of a calm way to ask Ryuichi about EVERYTHING that was on his mind, however, every which way he could think to word his conversation came out rude or accusing in his head. He'd almost burned one of the crispy grilled sandwiches before deciding that dwelling on things while cooking was foolish.

The ate in silence for the most part, which unnerved Ryuichi to a degree. He could tell that Tohma was lost in thought, but with all that had gone on, he couldn't even imagine what the blonde was thinking about. Once Ryuichi had noticed that Tohma had finished there small make shift meal, he'd slammed his glass down, startling Tohma out of his silence, and he'd grinned at the man.

"Tohma! Let's take a bath!" He whooped in excitement, and dashed out of the kitchen, rounding into the living room, with a twitching Tohma trailing after him.

Tohma watched in horror as Ryuichi dove through the long room stripping, his clothes pelting towards every corner of the room. Tohma paused half way across the room to assess what had just happened.

1- Ryuichi had scared the life out of him, making such a sudden loud noise in a previously silent room.

2- Ryuichi had spastically jumped from his seat, knocking Tohma's tea to the floor. He was sure that cup would be broken, or at the very least chipped...meaning he'd need to buy a new set.

3- Ryuichi had professed that they were to take a bath together, and he had been rather sure that did not involve swimming trunks...

4- Ryuichi had fled the room like a bat out of hell, and before he could tell him not to run on hardwood floors with cloth on his feet, he'd witnessed Ryuichi strip at top speed, and practically fall on the tub knobs to get the water flowing.

And 5- He was rather sure that the image of Ryuichi's bare ass would be forever burned into his mind...

Tohma sighed, and unsurely walked into the bathroom behind Ryuichi who was most definitely pouring far too much bubble bath into the rising, steaming water. Before Tohma could tell him this though, he'd already capped the bottle and begun to dance around the room, all the while, still very naked.

Tohma squeezed his temples and let out a brief groan.

He could see it now...nudity was going to be far more common in the house than he was used to...

"Tohma! Come on! Get into the spirit of things! It's a BIG tub! We have to break it in. Tub time! He giggled madly, fumbling with Tohma's shirt buttons.

"You really expect me to squeeze into that tub with you?" His voice cracked slightly as he eyed the tub.

The water was getting far too high for his liking...

"Psh, of course Tohma! This ain't no normal tub! It's HUGE!" he slid the shirt off Tohma's shoulders, and it crumpled to the floor. "Besides, there's bubbles! Not only are they fun and puffy, but we'll be covered from the waist down! Good way to get you less issuey with nakedness in my presence!" He nodded, reaching to undo Tohma's pants as well.

Tohma backed away so fast, he slammed into the door knob and yelped.

That would surely leave a bruise.

"Aww...come on Tohma! No fair!" Ryuichi crossed his arms and pouted.

Tohma would have scolded Ryuichi for the whole situation...if Ryuichi had, had pants on...

Without pants, Ryuichi was rather distracting, and although Tohma made a habit of looking into people's eyes while speaking, doing so was not possible with bits bouncing around...

Ryuichi chuckled.

"Like what you see Tohma?" He smirked playfully, putting his hands on his hips.

Tohma's blush only grew deeper and he grumbled to himself momentarily.

"Shut up Ryu, and just get in the damn tub..." He glared at the brunette, who only giggled and kindly jumped into the tub (although splashing water everywhere) with his back to Tohma, allowing the blonde to finish undressing without eyes on him.

Before Tohma could make it into the tub as quickly as possible, Ryuichi locked eyes with him.

"You know...there is that giant mirror there." He smile.

Tohma just whacked him on the head and sunk into the water.

Clearly he HAD forgotten about said mirror.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I have found that with Ryuichi I end up making up a lot of words that my spell check hates me for...lol

Again, sorry for the wait, it's been a hectic few weeks. I promise to try and go back to my previous updating schedule if possible. Regardless, it will never take so long for me to update again, I promise!


	10. Chapter 11

Yay! Chapter 11!

Sorry for the semi-long wait again...still have a lot going on around here.

Hope to have most of my things updated shortly, still trying to get on a decent typing schedule.

Still only have 2 for sure reviews, but I appreciate them both just the same :)

Lots of back story in this chapter!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma groaned.

After everything that he had done yesterday, he had forgotten to put curtains up, and now he was paying for it in lack of sleep...

He yawned and stretched his arms out, touching some of Ryuichi's hair.

His hand recoiled in shock.

"Oh... that's right..." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

He had almost forgotten...

Tohma smiled and slowly slid out of the bed making sure he didn't wake the sleeping brunette beside him.

Why should he wake him? If Ryuichi was able to sleep through the annoying beam of light, then let him...

He yawned once more and walked himself into the kitchen where he began to make breakfast to pass the time. He didn't exactly know when Ryuichi would wake up, so he figured that he had to do something to entertain himself, and cooking was it, since he'd already bathed the night before...

What an awkward mess that had been...

Ryuichi had treated the tub, and their bubble bath like a hot tub. They'd sat and talked about the most random things Ryuichi could think up. Any time Tohma had tried to ask him about himself, Ryuichi had avoided all questions. Of course, Tohma had told him some about himself, although Tohma could admit that he was relatively boring. He'd wanted to ask Ryuichi about his past home life, his name, and tons more, but he could tell that he wasn't ready to tell him yet, and of course, that was rather frustrating for him.

Tohma sighed as he slipped on his blue and orange gold fish apron and set a buttered pan on the stove.

After such a long day yesterday, the rest, although not too long of one, had done him some good. He hoped that it had been just as healing for Ryuichi as it had been for him, though the teen definitely needed it more than he.

So, Tohma figured breakfast would also help...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi groaned and turned over onto his side.

The sun was already up, and the soft ticking of the alarmclock filled the room. He sighed as he realized Tohma's absence, but he soon dismissed the thought of loneliness as a wonderful aroma filled his nose.

"Hmm...yummy..." He mumbled, ending with a content sigh.

He smiled, and gently slid is legs off the bed. He winced as his scabbed feet touched the cold floor, but shrugged the slight burning out of his mind.

After all, other than his feet, he was actually feeling much better than he had the previous day. The bath had done wonders...

He yawned and followed his nose into the kitchen, where his eyes met the table filled with food that Tohma had already finished cooking.

His eyes widened and he looked up at the blonde who was now grinning sheepishly at him.

"Well... there may be a bit much, but I was waiting for you to wake up, and I THINK I may have gotten a bit carried away..." Tohma laughed nervously as he glanced down at the piles of pancakes, syrup, and bacon.

"You THINK, do you?" Ryuichi smiled and resisted a giggle as he stared at the apron upon Tohma's front.

Tohma blinked and stared at Ryuichi in confusion.

And that was all that he could take...

He could hold it in no longer, and he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter as he pointed at the blonde's chest.

Tohma blushed and quickly tugged the bright apron off, tossing it in an open drawer.

"Please... like you've never seen a guy in an apron before..." Tohma's face became scarlet as Ryuichi's volume of laughter increased.

"Not one with a fish on it! It's too CUTE! I've never seen a thing like it!" Ryuichi grinned as Tohma blanched.

The blonde coughed and sat at the table, motioning for Ryuichi to do the same.

"You know...I wore that yesterday too...you never said a word."

Ryuichi smiled and pretty much attacked the plate of food nearest to him.

"Well..." he said between bites, " I was half delirious most of the day, you can't blame me for not being observative..."

Tohma sighed.

That was right...

Ryuichi had slept through most of the previous day. He wouldn't have been able to eat much... if anything at all...

"Tohma! This is great! I haven't had a homemade breakfast in years!" Ryuichi laughed, and chugged a full glass of milk in one gulp.

Tohma smiled, and quickly refilled the glass.

"I'm glad you're happy... Could you possibly meet me in the living room after you've finished up?" Tohma asked, slipping his own empty plate in the sink.

Ryuichi blinked and nodded happily before returning to his food.

Tohma glanced at him and sighed heavilly before leaving the room.

Ryuichi silently felt dread creeping up his spine, but continued to eat just the same.

Moments later, Tohma grunted as he dropped onto the couch, snuggling into the back of it as he stared at the ceiling.

It was Tuesday, right?

Right... Yesterday had been the Monday from hell...

Tohma groaned and glanced at the wall clock, now reading almost 8am.

Noriko would already be at school, also meaning that Ryu should have been too.

"Oh well..." Tohma sighed.

There would be nothing strange about Ryuichi not showing up after his talk with the principal...it was almost expected...

There was a sudden clatter in kitchen, bringing Tohma out of his thoughts, and seconds later Ryuichi joined him on the couch.

"All done Tohma!" The already hyper brunette smiled as Tohma opened his eyes once more.

Tohma smiled weakly and sat up.

"Not a morning person huh? You still look sleepy... maybe you should go back to bed..." Ryuichi frowned as he clutched a small couch pillow to his chest.

Tohma chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"No, I'd never fall back asleep anyway... This is a usual routine. I won't be fully awake for another hour or so. I'll be fine..." Tohma sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What about you? How are YOU feeling today? You looked pretty bad yesterday...you really had me worried. By rights I probably shoud have rushed you to the hospital after all of this, but I didn't think you'd like that." Tohma seemed to push himself deeper into the back of the couch.

Ryuichi smiled.

"Much better. Had a lot of sleep." Ryuichi smiled.

"That's good...I'm glad..."

It was then that the room fell silent, and it stayed that way for quite a few long minutes.

"Ryuichi, I-"

"It was my mother's..." Ryuichi interrupted.

Tohma paused and blinked.

"Wait...what?"

Ryuichi smiled sadly, and buried his face in the pillow in his arms.

"It was my mother's...Sakuma...her last name..." He murmured.

Tohma's eyes widened.

So he was finally ready to talk about things?

"I see... that clears up some confusion... I guess.. But, why?" he questioned.

Ryuichi laughed coldly, and Tohma honestly felt the room go cold.

"Can you honestly blame me? Who would want to walk around wearing the name of that man I was living with? Would you?" he snorted.

Tohma immediately softened.

"No...I don't suppose I would..."

Another long silence filled the room, and this time, Tohma waited for Ryuichi to continue.

"Y9ou see...things weren't always like this...not at all. There was a time where my life was just as normal as any average person's is. I had a mother...and a father, and we lived pretty happily. We weren't poor, but we weren't rich or anything like that. Things were just...normal, ya know?" He lifted his head from the pillow and stared at Tohma, now watching for any reactions, but Tohma just sat, and listened.

He pulled his legs up onto the couch and sat cross-legged, pillow still in hand.

"See...this was when we were happy.. My mother happily worked at a coffee shop around the corner during school hours, and returned home just in time to meet me every day. My father worked in an office, at a law firm. Long hours, came home on time for dinner. Had some good days, those days he was off. Some nights he'd go back out after dinner with his co-workers..." he paused, and let loose another rather negative laugh. "See...that's where things began to fall apart... He started going out after dinner more and more. And then he stopped coming home for dinner at all, and would show up late in the night. Mum got depressed...thought the worst of course. By the time Halloween came, about a month after this odd behavior started, she confronted him. He of course denied that anything out of the ordinary was going on, but he agreed to be home more often. And so...everything went back to normal."

"So...what happened then? If things went back to normal, how did you end up alone, with that man?" Tohma questioned.

Ryuichi stretched himself momentarily, then sunk back against the couch.

"See...we never knew exactly what happened... Things went back to normal, everyone was happy again. Everyone acted as though nothing ever happened, and I guess my mother just assumed that maybe he really had just been going out with co-workers, and that he'd just gotten carried away."

"But he hadn't been...had he?"

"No...I suppose not..." Ryuichi sighed. "Still, everything was normal for a while. The holidays approached. The house got decorated, presents gradually appeared under the tree... One day, he got a phone call, we assumed from the office. He seemed really distraught, and he kissed my mother goodbye, before heading out the door. That night, he came back late into the night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary after that either, and things were rather normal up until Christmas Eve."

Tohma groaned, knowing what came next couldn't be good.

"See...mum was cooking dinner, and you know how big holiday dinners can get, right? Well, mum had been in the kitchen all day, I'd been in there helping her too. She discovered that my father had forgotten to buy a can of cranberry sauce, one of her favorites. She of course asked him if he could quickly run out and get it, as dinner would be done soon. He agreed, and grabbed his coat and keys, kissed her goodbye, ruffled my hair a bit, and then he pulled out of the driveway. We continued cooking while he was gone."

"Was...there an accident?"

Ryuichi chuckled.

"No...I suppose we'd have preferred that though...see, the store was MAYBE a 15 minute drive. After he'd been gone an hour, my mother got worried. We held off on dinner, patiently trying to wait for him to come home. She turned the T.V. on, hoping that something would turn up on the news. Some time later, she'd gone into their room to see if something could have come up before having left...and that's when she noticed...all his things were gone..." Ryuichi glared at the floor, clearly displeased with this part of the memory.

"He just...up and left you two? On Christmas Eve!" Tohma gaped.

Ryuichi nodded his response.

What kind of a person just disappears? Let alone on a holiday!

"I'm so sorry...Ryuichi...please continue though..."

"Well...as you can guess, mum kinda got loopy after that...wondering what she'd done wrong, IF she had done wrong. It drove her nuts not knowing if it was her, or something with work, or if he'd somehow gotten mixed up with the wrong sort of people, or even if he'd run off with another woman. Unfortunately, without his income coming in, we lost our home, and had to move into a tiny apartment. My mum quickly realized that there was no way that she could support the two of us on her income alone, and she began to search for another job, and at the same time, began to search for a new man. At this time, I was 14. She got a decent paying night job as a waitress, but that meant that I saw very little of her, if I saw her at all. As you can probably guess, waitresses meet tons of people each day. One of those days, she met, and fell in love with my stepfather. At first, he was a really nice man, he wasn't always how he is now. They got married fast, and mum was able to drop her night job, giving us more time together as a family. It wasn't long before her depression started to sink back in. She began to really loose it, and I started ditching school to stay home with her. That's why I failed a few grades. I wasn't attending enough, and not doing so meant I didn't learn any of the material needed. My step father caught on to what was up, and forced me back into my classes. Mum only got worse over time, and one day, I came home, and no one was there. I later found hat she'd attempted to off herself in the bathroom, and my step father had just happened to come home for lunch. They committed her after that..." he murmured.

" Things just...fell apart after that huh?"

Ryuichi nodded once more.

"Yes they did. He began to drink, heavily, I began ditching school, more and more, just to visit her. And then, not even a year after they locked her up, she passed away. He blamed me for the loss of her. Said that I looked to much like my old man, and that all my visiting her put her in an early grave. He began to taunt me, scream at me...even started kicking at me...and before long, you got what you've witnessed yourself. An angry, bitter, abusive, man that has nothing else better to do than push me around and drink until his liver gives...It's all my father's fault. If he hadn't up and left, we'd all still be alive and happy. But nothing ever works out just as planned,. I've learned that the hard way. So Tohma? Please forgive me and my lack of trust...it will just take some time to get used to someone caring. If you're treated like dirt, and told how worthless you are for so many years...you kinda start to believe it..."

Tohma could no longer help himself, and he launched himself across the couch at Ryuichi, embracing him tightly.

"You've been through so much...I promise, things won't ever get that bad ever again! You can count on me..alright Ryu?" Tohma smiled weakly.

Ryuichi nodded, and buried his face in Tohma chest, taking in deep breaths.

"Yeah..."

"Good... now, Ryuichi... yesterday, you know how I went to your house and got your things?" Tohma sighed.

Ryuichi paled at the thought of Tohma being in that house alone with his step father again, and nodded.

"Well." Tohma blushed and ran a hand through his hair again, " you... really didn't have much. Just a box worth... I figured that you might want to go out shopping. You could use new clothes, and I'm sure that there are just things that you'd like to have..."

Tohma paused as Ryuichi blushed and frantically shook his head.

"No-no-no-no-noooo! I won't! You've done enough! I don't need anything!" Ryuichi's eyes began to tear up as Tohma groaned in frustration.

"It's not like you're taking advantage of me... I offered. Besides, I demand it... You need clothes. As a member of this band, you cant be wearing jeans and a T-shirt all of the time, it's a requirement that I repair your fashion sense." Ryuichi blushed in embarrassment. " and, since you're living here, I refuse to let everything in this living space be mine. You WILL get your own things, are we clear?" Tohma asked, raising an eyebrow at the panicked brunette.

"Uh, huh..." Ryuichi nodded again, and began to squeeze the life out of the pillow once more.

Tohma blinked and dismissed the action quickly.

The he smiled.

"One more thing," Tohma stood up and walked across the room, " Here... It's not much, but I thought you'd enjoy it all the same..." Tohma grinned and handed Ryuichi his old photo album and the new camera.

Ryuichi's eyes widened, and he looked up at Tohma looking for an explanation.

Tohma chuckled lightly and sat back next to the teen.

"Well, I noticed how empty your book was. I thought that maybe now that you were bound to have a lot of happy times, you'd like to finish filling the book up, and- wait! Are... Are you crying? Ryu, what on earth-" Tohma was cut off as Ryuichi leapt back into his arms and buried his face into Tohma shoulder as he began to loudly sob.

"Ryu... what did I do?" Tohma murmured as he began to rub the brunette's back.

Ryuichi said nothing, but continued to squeeze Tohma's waist.

"Ryu?" Tohma asked again, this time tilting Ryuichi's chin up so he could see him.

" Nothing... nothing... you did nothing at all, Tohma..." Ryuichi smiled, and began to try and wipe his tears away.

"Ryu..."Tohma sighed in confusion.

Ryuichi laughed, still attempting to dry his tears, and wrapped his arms around Tohma's shoulders.

"I'm just... happy. Happy Tohma. You make me happy... Ryuichi murmured and pressed his tear dampened lips against Tohma's.

"That's all, Tohma," Ryuichi sighed, "that's all..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That's it for this chapter!

Man...this was another long one eh?

Hope to post the next soon, so keep on checking your inbox!


	11. Chapter 12

Whoot! Back again so quickly, yay!

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Again, still a special thanks to Emiko Hime-sama, and awesomatical girl :)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Noriko groaned in disbelief as Tohma's phone continued to only offer voice mail.

"He's lost his damned mind..." She growled, slamming her lunch tray down on the outside table next to Mika.

She looked up at the angered girl and raise an eyebrow, a grin threatening to appear on her face.

"What's gotten you so upset?" She asked, staring at Noriko's clenched fists.

"Blondie! 'Nough said..." she frowned and looked at Mika accusingly.

The brunette sighed, and stirred her potatoes.

"Elaborate, please. I'm interested now." She smiled and Noriko sat down.

"You're idiot boyfriend went ahead and moved out of his apartment,-" Mika's eyes widened in shock, and Noriko smirked happily. "and moved into a new one, only two blocks away mind you, with our new singer because the guy had nowhere else to go! I swear! He's got his head in the clouds..." She gave an exasperated sigh and viciously took a bite of toast.

Mika blinked.

"Let me get this straight...first he picked some random guy up off the street to sing.. And now he's living with him, even though he's practically a total stranger?" Mika asked, giving Noriko a worried look.

Noriko sighed in relief.

"Thank you! That's what I mean! He doesn't even know the guy, and now they're living together! I mean... I know that he was desperate for a great singer, but he just heard him sing once, ONCE! Didn't even know him, and now he's in! Now, do you know what I meant by him being lost without you? He's lost all sense in his head! Mika... please, PLEASE talk to him. You need to set him straight!" Noriko pleaded.

Mika head sunk and she began to stare at the table.

Noriko sighed.

'Okay, so it's not the whole truth... but near enough to it. She soooo does NOT need to know...' Noriko mentally kicked herself for lying to her best friend, but she couldn't find it in herself to snitch on Tohma, or crush Mika.

"I don't know Nori..." She exhaled deeply and looked up at her friend, "I really don't... You told me to give him time to calm down first..."

Noriko let out slight whine, and tugged at her hair.

"I know I did! But... but that was before things started getting worse! He MOVED IN with the guy! Moved in! I mean, I've only seen the guy once! And that was for a few seconds!" Noriko pounded the table, making other nearby students stare.

Mika flinched at the sudden beating of the table and smiled weakly at her petulant friend.

"Calm down. If you keep wrinkling your face up, you'll get frown lines..." She paused to grin at her now blushing friend, " I'll go to him at my own pace. If I confront him now, we'll get into a screaming match. Even you should know that..."

Noriko huffed.

"Well, that would be better than nothing..." she growled and stabbed her food with her chop sticks savagely.

Mika sighed.

"You are impossible..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The day had continued to go on almost the same as the day before. Tohma left soon after giving Ryuichi the camera to do business elsewhere for a few hours, and Ryuichi spent a large majority of the day relaxing, watching T.V., and looking at the old Nittle Grasper's lyrics as he began to put together some of his own.

Later on, Tohma rejoined him, they ate dinner, and then they slept.

Together...

The next day, they had the same morning breakfast, earlier than the previous day's, Tohma left once more, and this time, Ryuichi returned to school...

This day was definitely not a normal school day in the life of Ryuichi 'Sakuma' Sanju...

Evidently the word had gotten around that Tohma Seguchi, who was somehow known to most of the school population even though Tohma had never set foot there (Ryuichi would have remembered this), had come to his rescue and driven him out of school...

It was quite embarrassing...

Girls were whispering to each other about said subject, and the guys, especially the ones Tohma had run off, stared at him, some even fearfully.

On the bright side, everyone left him alone for once.

Evidently Tohma was a popular person, in more than one way...

Ryuichi managed to get through the day without problems, much to his joy, and he returned home not only to find Tohma, but to find a very bossy Noriko sitting with him as well.

Ryuichi mentally groaned, but forced a smile at her despite the recent depressing phone conversation, and bounced over to Tohma happily.

"Tohma! You're home earlier than yesterday, yay!" he laughed and pecked him on the cheek happily as he plopped down beside him.

Noriko glared at the scene, making Tohma let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yes, I'm home, for a good reason too... We're going to start song production today." Tohma smiled as Ryuichi's mood seemed to brighten at the mere mention of music .

Noriko grunted.

"Yes... I suppose you've done nothing productive since you've acknowledged your position... after all, you've been... busy." She continued to glare and she crossed her arms as the brunette began to squirm slightly in place.

"That's not true! I've been working, I really have!" Ryuichi insisted.

He quickly ran out of the room, and looked quite hurt when he returned from his room with a battered old notebook in hand.

Noriko raised an eyebrow and gave an uninterested sigh.

"Whatever," she started, " What do you have? Lyrics? Music? What?" She growled.

"Noriko..." Tohma hissed, his face clearly showing his displeasure in Noriko's treatment of his newfound lover.

Ryuichi smirked and tore a few pages out of the book, tossing them at Tohma.

"Both, actually... Did them the other day while you were out, Tohma. Used your keyboard as a bit of a guide... Hope you don't mind... I finished the melody you were stuck on, I hope that's okay with you..." He smiled as Tohma began to rapidly look over the added musical notes with an obvious serious look on his normally calm face.

Noriko laughed in disbelief.

"Ooooo...bad move... You tampered with HIS music... You shouldn't have done that," She laughed in sheer amusement, " he even gets angry with ME if I try to help him. And I play the keyboard and Synth professionally at his side. At least you did it on a separate sheet than he did..." she smirked and managed to contain her laughter some.

Ryuichi glared at her for a moment before turning back to the blonde seated before him.

Noriko sighed and scooted over to Tohma, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a sympathetic manner, then smiled.

"Don't worry Tohma. You'll have plenty of time to finish your melody later. The chances that THIS guy did top notch work to do it justice are slim you kno-"

"Ryuichi!" Tohma shouted, interrupting the now fuming Noriko, "This is brilliant! Where did you come up with it?" Tohma gasped as he resifting through the papers, snatching the sheet music out of them.

Noriko's mouth dropped.

"What!" She screamed as she nearly fell off the couch in shock. " What do you mean, brilliant! How could it be brilliant? He probably plays with his index fingers like a child!" She snarled at Tohma, who glared back and seemed truly shocked with her outburst.

Ryuichi huffed from behind.

"Brilliant. What's so hard to understand about it? He said it was, so evidently it is... It's sparkly, sparkly, and there's nothin' you can fo about it!" Ryuichi smiled and bounced over to Tohma, who had already made his way over to his keyboard.

Ryuichi wrapped himself around the man's shoulders and turned his head to smirk at Noriko, before sticking his tongue out at her.

Noriko sat in shocked silence.

Had Ryuichi not been trying to fuse himself into Tohma's back, she'd have beat him senseless. How DARE his stick his tongue out at her! Not only that, but how could some random guy impress Tohma of all people! It was ridiculous! Not even she could pass him sheet music he truly liked and accepted, and she'd have never even dared tamper with the guys own work!

The whole damn situation was ridiculous...

Clearly, Tohma had been brainwashed.

Possibly drugged.

Or both...

Tohma smiled and began to play the notes Ryuichi had written. It was a simple tune, still only in a simple piano format, but with backing and some tones, it could easily beat out wildly...

Noriko stared, not believing the whole situation, and ultimately refusing to acknowledge the simple fact that she knew it would do well...

Tohma played, fully enjoying himself, and by the second time through, he began to throw in a few extra, necessary notes, winding them in with the ones Ryuichi had added to his original, and by the third time, Ryuichi even began to hum along.

Tohma looked up and smiled.

"You do know that you could sing along now. I don't mind... ignore Nori... she's just in one of her bad moods." He sighed as Ryuichi smiled and shook his head.

"Nope! It's not polished off yet. I'll wait... It won't reach me if it's not shining..."

Noriko gagged and resisted the urge to smack Tohma upside the head for his stupidity.

Shining...really now...

In all reality, she now truly believed that the guy should be in the psych ward... with all this talk of shiny, and sparkly, he clearly had to be on some serious drugs...

Tohma sighed.

"All right then... I'll just... get to work and finish it up as soon as possible then. I really want to hear you sing it. Just reading it doesn't do it justice. Just think though... it'll be our first song together," Noriko grunted in response, " and Nori... I'm sure you'll stop having a hissy fit when it's completely finished. You'll love it, I'm sure. I'll fix your part quickly too. It won't be done without it."

Noriko glared and shook her head laughing slightly.

Tohma's eyes narrowed.

" Leave him alone, Noriko! Glaring at him won't make him go away! You get upset too easily over the stupidest of things sometimes..." Tohma groaned as her glare shifted from Ryuichi, to him.

"S' okay Tohma. Girls are like that. Always being mean if something happens that they don't like. Believe me, I'm used to it... The only difference is that she'll have to get used to me... All of us are in this together, let's not fight..." Ryuichi gave a weak smile to Tohma, then turned to Noriko. " You don't HAVE to like me Noriko, but things would be easier if you did."

Noriko frowned.

"As of this moment, I have yet to see anything to make me fond of you. I believe with all my heart that you are corrupting him..." She growled. " Tohma is supposed to lead a good life! He is expected to do so much! Most of it, he'd rather not do... He's supposed to please his business, money hungry, power crazed father, while managing and leading this band on the side! He's not allowed to make the band his full priority! Why do you think he works so much, with out it being band related...Then, he's supposed to be with Mika! He's supposed to love her like he has for so long... They're supposed to get married soon! Their parents never even bothered to arrange marriages for them because they even knew they'd be together! You're preventing them from getting back together and being happy! If Tohma screws that relationship up, he'll be miserable for the rest of his life! Mr. Seguchi will take the band away... he'll force Tohma to sit at a desk all day in an office inside some huge building! I'll never get to see him! We'll never have music again... He'll be miserable! And it'll all be because you want to shack up with him and shag every night!" She shouted, standing up to face Ryuichi, who was now staring intensely at the floor.

Tohma shot up from his seat, knocking the keyboard bench over, and pounded on the top of said instrument.

"Noriko! That is ENOUGH! I do not invite you into my home to insult whom I have chosen to live with me! What is with you? I've NEVER seen you like this... What has gotten into you?" He asked, giving her a saddened, questioning look.

She glared daggers.

"What do you mean, 'what's gotten into me'? Tohma! Open your damn eyes! I know you were DESPERATE to get a singer, but Tohma..." she whined as she pleaded with him and looked over at the sulking Ryuichi.

"But what?" Tohma growled, crossing his arms.

Noriko sighed and rubbed her temples.

"He's... not all there... I mean... I know you see it too, don't deny it-"

"Noriko-"

Suddenly, both Noriko and Tohma yelped as Ryuichi suddenly knocked into them, racing past.

Tohma spun around in shock.

"Ryuichi, what are you-" Just as he turned, the front door opened, and slammed shut.

Ryuichi had fled...

Tohma blinked and stared at the shut door in shock for what seemed like minutes, before turning angrily toward Noriko.

"Noriko," he calmly, quietly started, " get... OUT!" he finished in a growl.

Her eyes widened.

"What!" She screeched.

"OUT!" He shouted loudly, and pointed at the door.

She let out an angry roar and stomped out, slamming the door shut as she went, just as Ryuichi had done.

Tohma sighed and sunk to the floor, sitting there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then, he took in a deep breath, grabbed his coat, and ran out the door to search for the now missing teen.

"Noriko... what have you done..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi sped out the door and ran at top speed down the street.

He hung his head low, as if to hide the streams of tears pouring out of his eyes...

' She really REALLY hates me...' He coughed and turned the corner.

Then there was what she had said...

Was it all true?

Did Tohma have to do all of those things?

Was he really going to HAVE to get married?

Or did he WANT to marry the girl, and was just being nice so he would sing? Just as she had implied?

Ryuichi was literally thrown out of his thoughts as he tripped over a curb and skidded across the side walk.

He could take it no more...

He screamed, and began to violently sob into his arms as he brought his now skinned knees up to his chest.

"Tohma must hate me now..." He sniffled and pulled himself up onto the bench that was near him.

He looked up.

He was in a park...

He smiled weakly, then curled into a ball on his side on the bench.

"I'm not crazy..."

He whimpered and curled up tighter.

"I'm not crazy..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bit shorter than the last chapter, but my chapter lengths always vary.

Noriko's a meany... but oh well...

Hope to update soon!


	12. Chapter 13

Here we go again! Chapter 13! Wow, we're here already...

Hope that you continue to love and read this story!

I've been severely neglecting my fics for a while, so I've been trying to update as much as possible now.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma yelped, and ducked into an all night coffee shop as rain began to violently fall from the sky. After searching around town for two hours straight, he had unsuccessfully found Ryuichi...

Not that he really knew more than a few places that the brunette would go, but he HAD searched every music compatible club and bar in the area, and he had looked down streets and into alleys, but there had been no sign of him. In all honestly, he likely knew the town better than he could ever hope to, having likely stayed out of his previous house as much as possible to avoid possible confrontations.

"Dammit Noriko!" He growled and threw himself onto a stool, resting his head on the counter in front of him.

He groaned and enjoyed the coolness of the glass top against his forehead.

He was disturbed seconds later by a cup being set in front of him.

He sighed and looked up to see a comforting looking old women smiling at him.

"Looks like you've had a rough night. It's on the house. Go a head and drink it."

Tohma looked down at the welcoming liquid caffeine and gave a weak smile.

"I have... thank you... It's hell trying to find someone in this town... Especially in the rain..." He sighed and gulped down some of the hot liquid.

The woman laughed lightly and glanced out the window.

"Yes, it's going to be a long down pour tonight... You said that you were looking for someone?"She asked turning back to the blonde

Tohma stared at the half empty cup and nodded.

"Yes, my...uh...brother... got upset because my good friend doesn't like him... he ran off, and I've checked everywhere that I think he'd go... Now it's raining, and I can't do a thing to help him... He'll be out in the rain, alone, all night... he'll end up sick again..." He groaned and downed the remainder of the coffee.

The woman frowned and refilled the cup.

"Again? He's done this before?" Her concerned voice made him look up at her.

"In a way... yes. Just last Sunday... it was raining then too... He ran away from his father's house and came to mine..."

The woman blinked.

"HIS father's house?" She raised an eyebrow as Tohma became a bit flustered.

"Oh! Uh... different... different fathers... I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" He smiled nervously, and she nodded.

"Yes... well, that doesn't matter, now does it? You should probably get home before it starts to rain harder. I'm sure that if you give him time, he'll find his way back home, and if he gets sick, I'm sure that he'll recover quickly." she smiled and took away the now empty again glass, waving towards the door. " you ought to leave and get back before YOU get ill though, otherwise he'll have no one to care for him." she smiled.

Tohma sighed.

"Yes... you're right... he probably will... I hope..." he sighed again and smiled at the old woman once more " thank you, you're very kind."

The woman smiled and walked him to the door.

"Come in anytime. Next time, bring your brother though. I'd like to meet him, okay? Well, get a move on!"

He smiled and dashed out the door.

The only thing left that he could do was go home... as much as he hated to...

But he had nowhere else to search...however, if he did not return, he'd try again tomorrow when it WASN'T raining... the last thing he needed was to get sick himself. Noriko was right, about one thing... He DID have a lot to do to keep things together... he couldn't afford to get sick...

But, he still felt horrible as he ran into his apartment, stripping off the wet clothes as he went...

He would be dry, and asleep in bed, where as Ryuichi would be god knows where, and wet...

It wasn't a pleasant thought...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Mika sighed and stared out her bedroom window.

She watched the rain fall from the sky and pelt at the ground. It even seemed to be raining in reverse, if of course you looked to the pond. The rain seemed to bounce back into the air as each drop hit the surface. The sound of the rain hitting the rooftop was comforting...and yet, not comforting enough...

Noriko was right...

She was starting to get quite lonely without Tohma hovering around her, and the rest of her family was starting to notice the lack of his presence in the area.

Her father would be commenting about it soon... and that wouldn't be good...

She groaned, and leaned back in her chair, now staring at the ceiling.

It had been a while since she had seen the guy's idiotic smile...

She closed her eyes, and managed a weak smile as she pictured Tohma little grin.

Yeah...she could admit it... she really missed him...

She sighed, opening her eyes to ceiling gaze once more... only...

Mika yelped, and nearly fell out of her chair as she looked back behind to see golden eyes and hair hovering over her.

She growled and turned around to face her brother.

"What do you want? You scared the hell out of me you know..." She sighed rubbed her temples. "You can't just do that kind of thing! You could give me a heart attack and send me to an early grave!"

Her brother, Eiri, sat down in front of her.

"Well," he started, staring out the window at the rain, as Mika had been doing. "I was wondering... where has Tohma-san been? He's been gone a long time this time...he really has..." he sighed and turned to face his sister once more, a pout forming on his face.

She smiled weakly and nodded sadly.

"Yes... it has been a while, hasn't it Eiri?" She grinned and pulled him into her arms. " You really like him, don't you?" She asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

He smiled and nodded.

"Yes... he's nicer to me than most people are... he always has been. I like him around, he's nice to talk to..." he said quietly, as he leaned back into his sister.

She sighed and squeezed him tighter.

"Alright... I'll call him when I get a chance... would that make you happy?" She asked hopefully.

He grinned, and nodded happily.

"He's going to come back Tats!" He smiled and laughed, leaping away from Mika.

Tatsuha , the youngest of the three, slid out from underneath Mika's bed, and whooped happily.

Mika couldn't help but giggle at the boy's actions.

'They really like him...' she sighed and grabbed both of them, and they all sat down to stare at the rain.

It could easily be a long night...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Noriko slammed the door to her apartment shut.

The nerve of him! Kicking her out like that, and taking his side and not hers...

She had known him longer for god's sake!

She huffed, and walked into the bathroom, reaching for a towel.

And to top everything all off... she was wringing wet!

She growled and threw off her clothes, walking into her bedroom in search of her pajamas. After locating them, she quickly stripped and roughly tugged the 2 piece set on.

"Dammit..." she whispered, dropping onto her bed.. "How could he not trust me? I know him... I know what's best for him..." she sighed.

And now he was upset with her...

Things couldn't get much worse...

Why did the idiot have to storm out of the house like that? If he hadn't, she wouldn't be in this mess...

It was all HIS fault...

She groaned, and shoved her head into her pillow.

Tohma would forgive her... he had to, right?

She sighed, and turned over to stare at the ceiling.

Yeah... he had to...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi sat curled in a ball on his bench as the cold rain beat down on his back.

He had no idea how long he had been out in the park, alone in the rain, all he knew was that he was completely alone, upset, and freezing...

He was so cold... but there was no way that he could go back home where Tohma was... The girl could still be there...

He whimpered and buried his head deeper into his knees.

The night couldn't get any worse could it?

A crash of thunder sounded above him, and he yelped, nearly flying off the wooden bench.

Yes, yes it could...

He coughed and wiped the rain... or was it tears?... out of his eyes.

He sat there, unmoving for some time.

He was too cold, and feeling too poorly to notice that someone was walking towards him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand appeared on his shoulder.

His first thoughts were to get away, however, his numb legs refused to agree with him, and he nearly fell as he attempted to leap off of the bench.

"Whoa! Calm down... I'm not here to hurt you... and normally, I would have just walked past you, like I was going to, but...well... are you Ryuichi?" The long-raven-haired man standing in front of him asked.

He wore an unsure look on his face as he stood with the umbrella over them.

Ryuichi sniffled and looked up in surprise.

"Y-Yeah...why? Do you know me? Because I don't think I know you, mister..." Ryuichi frowned as the guy gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank god... I thought that I was making a fool of myself by asking... No, I don't know you, at least personally," He smiled weakly as Ryuichi's frown became a panicked expression. "Oh! How rude of me! Let me introduce myself, please! Before you freak out... You see, I'm Shinya!" he smiled warmly.

Ryuichi blinked.

He was SURE that he had heard that name before...

This...Shinya... sighed.

And then... Ryuichi's head snapped up.

"Shinya... Tohma and Noriko's ex-bandmate?" The young man smiled hopefully.

Surely Tohma had not forgotten to mention him...

Ryuichi gasped then smiled.

"Oh! Yes! Tohma said things about you! I don't always have the best of memories... What is Shinya doing out in the rain, na no da?" Ryuichi asked, a frown forming on his face.

Shinya sighed, and gave a small chuckle.

"Well, I WAS on my way home from my double shift at work, I always walk through the park to get home, it's a great short cut, but then I saw you... Tohma's shown me a few pictures he took of you, so I thought that it was you... Well, I wasn't completely sure, as you noticed. But I was right... My question is though, why are YOU out here in the rain? You're so wet that it looks like you fell into a pond, you must have been sitting out here a long time..."

Ryuichi let loose a sob and threw his head into his hands.

"I was at home with Tohma, and... and... Noriko hates me!" He screamed and began to cry once more.

Shinya gasped and stared at the sobbing brunette in front of him.

"Ryuichi... I'm sure that she doesn't hate you. She doesn't hate any-"

"Well she hates me! She pretty much said so herself! She said that she didn't like me, and that she doesn't want me around Tohma... she said that I'm ruining his life! She said I was crazy!" he cried and shook his head frantically.

Shinya was in shock.

He, in all the years he had known her, had NEVER heard Noriko say such things. It was... just not like her... But why else would the poor guy be out in a park crying in the rain where he was sure to catch his death?

He sighed and pulled one of Ryuichi's arms around his shoulder, making him stand up.

Ryuichi hiccuped and looked at him in questioning.

Shinya laughed half-heartedly.

"Tohma would kill me if I left you out here... you'll get sick, and likely, pretty badly. As for Noriko, apparently she has a stick up her ass. I'll deal with her later... You can stay the night at my house. I'll give you a change of clothes, and a meal. How does that sound?" He smiled at the look of shock on Ryuichi's face.

Ryuichi shook his head frantically.

"No! I couldn't possibly, I-"

Shinya sighed.

"Nope. Won't take no for an answer. I'll drag you if I have to. Can't ruin your pretty little singing voice. Tohma might die if he loses another one. He can still love you without a voice, but he'd be down another bandmate. Besides, you can tell me what's been going on with the band... I miss it, ya know?" He smiled and began to lead Ryuichi through the park, towards his home.

"Yeah... I do know... I would hate to lose the music..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dang... another short chapter... oh well, I tried!

Hope to get the next up shortly!

Remember to review!


	13. Chapter 14

Back!

Have you all waited patiently?

Hope you're happy to see this fic updated! I've been working hard!

Enjoy!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinya sighed in relief as he and Ryuichi finally stumbled into the large apartment.

No sooner had they walked threw the door, was the poor ex-vocalist was tackled to the ground by three small boys and a young teen.

Ryuichi sighed and smiled at the scene.

"Well! I guess you're all really happy to see me, huh?" Shinya grinned and ruffled the teenage boy's hair.

The younger ones nodded and laughed.

"You're gone too long Shinya!"

Ryuichi grinned.

'To have so many people to care for must be hard...' He thought as he leaned against the door frame.

Shinya sighed and smiled weakly at the children.

"Did you all eat?" they all nodded happily.

"Yeah! And there's a lot left, so you can have some! Even your friend can! Who's your friend?" One of the young boys questioned.

Ryuichi giggled, and they all turned to him.

Shinya smiled.

"That, my brothers, is Tohma's new singer! Treat him with respect, and not jealousy. Just because I can't do it anymore, doesn't mean I hate being replaced." He sighed and glanced at the dripping Ryuichi is his doorway."Come on in, I'll be with you in a second. I just have to put them to bed, and I'll bring you some clothes on the way back, alright?"

Ryuichi nodded and stepped in, closing the door behind him.

'To have a loving family...' he thought sadly

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinya dashed around the apartment, all four younger siblings following, as he put them all to bed in their rooms.

He returned around ten minutes later, bearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, which he had slung over his shoulder, and a plate of food for each of them.

"Here... they should be around your size. Bathroom's straight down the hall, to the right. You can change there, and when you get done, you can eat. We'll talk some too."

Ryuichi nodded.

"Thanks..."

Shinya sighed and sat down to wait for the brunette.

Noriko hated him? How could she? He seemed like a generally nice guy. And Tohma had, had nothing but good to say about him thus far. Sure, the guy had some problems, but who didn't?

And since when did Noriko actually hate any thing?

He groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Does Shinya have a headache? Did the rain make him sick? Rain makes Ryu sick too, but medicine makes things better..." Ryuichi smiled weakly.

Shinya looked up and blinked.

"Headache? No...then again, maybe... just slightly... I'm thinking too much with way too little sleep. How about you? You feeling sick? I could give you something..."

Ryuichi grinned.

"Nope! Not yet. Might be later though..."

They sat eating silence for a few minutes. However, Ryuichi couldn't stand it for long.

"You... wanted to talk?" he asked, taking his plate of food, eating more of it rather quickly.

Shinya sighed and leaned into the back of the couch.

"Yeah, let's talk. How's Tohma and the band? How's the music?" He smiled and raked his hands through his hair before starting back his dinner.

Ryuichi grinned.

"Well, we're going to start our first song! Tohma had the idea for the melody, but it was unfinished. I completed it, and he loved it. Noriko despised it... just like she does me..." Shinya frowned, but motioned for Ryuichi to continue. "Well, I wrote the song lyrics too, so all Tohma has to do is floof it up, and give Noriko her bits."

Shinya grinned.

"Tohma liked what you did with it huh? He must really like you. Not just in the romantic sense. He doesn't normally accept people touching his music. I really can't wait to hear it. I've really got to get a babysitter the day you all perform somewhere. I couldn't miss it."

Ryuichi looked up and blushed.

"You really want to hear me? But... won't it upset you? It should be you with them, not me..."Ryuichi murmured.

Shinya froze suddenly, and let loose a growl.

"Did Noriko say that too! Damn her!" Shinya glared at the table in frustration.

Ryuichi blinked.

"NO! She didn't! Honest... why should she?" Ryuichi fidgeted with the food left on his plate as he stared at the newly angered Shinya.

"I don't know... she was... pretty upset when I quit. She didn't exactly say so with Tohma around, but she got to me...privately...She didn't seem to understand that I can't work all day, take care of four kids, AND sing... I'm worn out as is, you can tell, can't you?"

Ryuichi nodded sadly

"And well... I don't know... I guess that she really LIKED me. Tohma kinda hinted at it, but I don't know... I never really thought of anything but being friends and bandmates, and she sure as hell never said anything directly to me... Tohma said she got over it though, and I don't really think her case with you has anything to do with me either." he sighed. " It most likely has something to do with Mika Uesugi..."

Ryuichi's eyes widened, and he blushed, finding the small scratches on the table interesting.

"So.. You know the whole story then?" He murmured softly.

Shinya chuckled.

"Of course. Tohma tells me everything. He called the moment you left the house that first morning. I dropped my coffee in my lap while driving, nearly crashed..." He laughed as Ryuichi gasped. "I don't care to butt into relationships... I just know that he's happy right now, that's all that matters to me. As long as I don't have to hear about all the details of you two shagging, I'm even glad with the situation."

Ryuichi laughed nervously, his face bright pink.

Shinya yawned and stood up, grabbing the now empty plates.

"Look, you can take my bedroom for the night. I haven't converted my mother's room into a guest room yet... haven't had the heart... I'll take the couch. The room's the first on the left."

Ryuichi frowned.

"But... I don't want to take your bed, I mean-"

Shinya sighed.

"Ryu, I insist it. Get a good night's sleep. Tohma's probably worried enough about you as is... it'll be worse if you're sick, and sleep deprived." He smiled weakly. "Go to bed. I still have dishes to do, but then I'm dropping as well."

Ryuichi sighed and obediently walked to the room.

Shinya went on his way to the kitchen, and set the dishes in the sink.

"Noriko..." He groaned.

Why did she have to be so difficult?

"She's taking this Mika thing way too far..." He sighed and leaned against the sink counter. "Hell... I have mixed feelings about the whole thing too, but damn..."

He turned and glared at the dishes.

"To hell with it... I'll do them in the morning..." he grumbled and flicked the light off, shuffling to the couch, where he collapsed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi laid down on the bed and sighed.

Shinya was nice, he decided.

He would be another friend...

He smiled weakly.

Tohma would be upset with him tomorrow, he was sure of it, and he could already feel a cold coming on...

He sneezed and turned onto his side.

Would Tohma be REALLY angry that he had run away?

He shook his head not wanting to think about an angry Tohma, but the thoughts continued to roll into his head.

What if Tohma WAS really angry? Would he not talk to him? Would he not let him even come home? Or would he even start to agree with Noriko?

He shuddered and buried his head in the large pillows.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left..." He whimpered.

He groaned and began to listen to the rain, still falling in thick sheets right outside the window.

'Then again... Tohma could just be worried... He might have even tried to look for me... Maybe he even yelled at Noriko!' Ryuichi grinned.

Yes, that was what Tohma did! He was sure of it... He would have been worried sick, and would have made Noriko feel icky... that was what he did...

Ryuichi fell asleep with a small grin on his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma groaned in his sleep as he tossed and turned.

It was a restless sleep, filled with thoughts of Ryuichi...

It had taken Tohma a few hours to fall asleep as is, and even now he'd still be exhausted by morning.

For Tohma, sleep had always been a hard task.

Stress and worry, among other things, made it almost impossible to get a good night's rest, and this was why Noriko was right about a lot of things in Tohma's life...

He DID have a father who wasn't thrilled with the idea of a musical career...

He DID have to work a double shift, flopping between office work and band practice...and even classes.

He WAS expected to marry Mika...

AND he WAS completely screwed at the moment...

Once his father found out that he had no intention at all of going back to Mika, the band would be taken away... and that was only if that was ALL he found out...

If he ever found out about Ryuichi...at least, that he wasn't JUST a bandmate and friend, he was as good as disowned...

No job, no band, no money...

His life really would fall apart...

And Noriko knew this.

In all reality, she was right, and all she was doing was trying to help.

Tohma knew this, but what had really gotten to him... was that she had to tell him what he didn't want to hear...

Tohma turned over once again, and frowned in his sleep.

True... he wanted none of this to happen... but he had already dug himself to deep, and he could no longer climb out...

If he broke things off now, he'd also break Ryuichi...

And Tohma's dilemma was... he couldn't make a decision either way, without shattering himself as well...

And this was why he, Tohma Kenji Seguchi, had always obeyed his father, and had always done what others had expected of him.

It had made life easier.

And now?

Everything was a mess, and for once, no one could tell him what to do to fix it, it was all his own decisions from here on out.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He was being chased.

It was pitch black out, and the street lights only illuminated the street so much. He could not see who was after him, but he knew that if he stopped running, he was done for.

The rain was thick, and the street drenched and slippery.

It was hard to keep his footing.

After some time, he dashed through a large puddle...only...it didn't let him go. It latched onto him, pulling him in. He sunk in deeper. No amount of struggling seemed to free him, and it was as if the more he struggled, the faster he sunk, and the tighter the grip got.

And suddenly...

Ryuichi awoke with a start, someone shaking him awake. He realized at once that he was on the floor, rather than in a bed, and even though he'd awoken, he was still trapped and being held tightly. He began to flail, and only stopped when his arm connected with something hard, which let out a yelp. Slowly, he managed to free his head from the clinging mass (which he had discovered to be the large blanket he'd been sleeping with) and he gazed down at the boy who was frantically feeling around for his glasses.

He's accidently smashed his arm into the face of Shinya's older of the three younger siblings...

Ryuichi paled and he laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry kid... wasn't all here yet..." he tensed, and quickly grabbed the glasses that he'd knocked off the boy's face, passing them back to their rightful owner.

"There's no need to apologize...I guess I should have sought a better way to wake you, but I just jumped in without thinking. It was like you were trying to swim in your bed...and then you fell. I'm in the next room over, and wasn't quite asleep yet, so I came to see what was the matter." The boy smiled nervously, returning his glasses to their proper roost. " I'm Sanosuke by the way. Please call me Sano. Shorter, less formal." He stuck out his hand, and Ryuichi shook his hand with a grin.

"Nice to meet you Sano! Sorry I hit you. Nightmares..ick..." He shuddered.

Sano nodded knowingly.

"We all experience those every once and a while...some of us more often then others..." he coughed, and shook his head briefly.

"Yes... that is very true..." Ryuichi nodded, glancing back up at the bed. "I was drowning in a puddle...stupid really..." he mumbled, gathering up the comforter.

Sano smiled at him weakly.

"Explains your attempts to swim... " he chuckled, now standing. "I'm afraid though that I must return to m bed. Shin will be cross if he finds me out of bed... he's not a late night, or a morning person. He works too hard and is far too under rested, and I have school in the morning. Hope that your remainder of the night is nightmare free!" He bowed, and skidded out of the room.

Ryuichi lifted himself back up onto the bed, and shifted into a comfortable position.

"Strange kid..."

He yawned, and slowly sunk back into a deep sleep, this time, he slept without nightmares.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Another chapter completed, whoo!

This fic is coming along nicely! Hope to see you all again, and please remember to review!


	14. Chapter 15

I'm on a roll! Whoo!

Updating fast now, aren't I? Yes I am...

Am I a little too proud of this?

Perhaps...

But do I care?

Nopes ^-^

* Note: was down, so I couldn't post this earlier in the day... so...I'm sorry that your phone will alert you to the presence of this chapter so late at night T-T'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinya groaned.

Yup...The couch was definitely not the most comfortable of sleeping areas in the house...

He sighed and glanced around the dark room, cracking his neck, eyes landing on the digital clock atop the television.

-11:30 pm- The clock blinked annoyingly.

He sighed and brushed his bangs out of eyes.

Well... he could at least let Tohma have a good night sleep and call him about Ryuichi...

He yawned and slid off the couch as he felt his way to the kitchen, stumbling in the dark.

Sleeping was starting to get hard for even him... Maybe insomnia was contagious...

'Damn Tohma...' he frowned.

Then he laughed...

"Poor Tohma though...he has this almost every night..."

He chuckled to himself, and groped the wall for the phone. He gave another long yawn before dialing Tohma's number.

To his surprise, it didn't even get to ring twice.

"HELLO!" Tohma sounded desperate, and Shinya grinned.

"Yes, Tohma, I'm glad to hear you voice too..."

Tohma groaned.

"Hello Shinya... I'm sorry for my lack of enthusiasm, but I was sort of hoping that you were someone else..." He sighed.

Shinya smirked.

"Would this someone have shaggy chestnut hair, bright blue eyes, and a strong tendency for having heavy mood swings?

"You've seen him!" Tohma asked, voice full of hope.

"Nope." Tohma gave a frustrated sigh. " Haven't just seen him. He's lying in my bed as I am forced to sleep on the couch." He laughed.

Tohma growled.

"You... you...damn... too tired, can't think of any good insults...but he's there? Oh thank god... Noriko got him so upset, and it just shocked me when he flew out the door. I searched everywhere I thought he could be... obviously I missed somewhere..." He sighed.

Shinya chuckled lightly.

"I suppose so... the park for future reference...But yes, he's here, and he's doing fine. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he came down with a cold... the rain was freezing and he was just sitting there in it..." Shinya gave a quiet yawn, " but, he should be fine. He said that Noriko was being horrible to him though... it seemed to really upset him."

Tohma groaned.

"Yes...she was... I have no clue as to what's gotten into her. She's been sore ever since I met Ryuichi. It's not fair for him, or for me... It's not like I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

Shinya sighed.

"Yeah, I know...It's such a big risk, but my opinion doesn't count of course. I like the guy though. Even if he is kind of...different..."

Tohma laughed lightly.

"Yes... I suppose he is, but he can't help it...the living conditions he was in..."Tohma smiled and glanced at the time. "You're lucky that I don't sleep..." He grumble seeing the clock, which now read 5 to midnight.

Shinya laughed.

"Well, I forgot to call earlier. Things happened too quickly, my mind was in a blur over the unplanned events. But yeah... I did just want to let you know that he was alright. Couldn't sleep over it I suppose. Just... come by and get him sometime tomorrow. Or have you forgotten where I live already?" Shinya smirked.

Tohma laughed.

"No, no I haven't..." he sighed. " Thank you... I wouldn't have slept without knowing... I'll see you both tomorrow then, good night."

"Night, Tohma..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi awoke the next morning to the most wonderful aroma he'd ever smelled in his life.

He yawned, and dropped out of the bed, shuffling towards the tempting smell as he held the wall for support during his un-awake walk towards the kitchen.

Upon his arrival into the room of food, he was immediately tackled to the ground by the younger three siblings. The event was followed by the loud laughter of Shinya from across the room.

"Sorry about them... they're a handful. Don't know when to stop trying to crush people..." Shinya sighed as Ryuichi struggled to free himself from the boys.

"Oh! It's alright! It was actually quite amusing."He smiled.

He finally wrenched himself free from their grasp and dashed to the table.

"Aww! You're no fun! Play before food Ryu! Play before food!" The youngest pouted as he sat down across from Ryuichi.

Ryuichi laughed nervously as the other two playfully glared at him.

"Oh grow up... Some people can't function without a meal first." Sano mumbled, shuffling into the room.

The boy rummaged through the cabinets, and then slowly poured himself a cup of tea.

Ryuichi decided that the teen ALSO did not function properly without food.

"Look, sorry Ryuichi-san... They're insane little freaks of nature..." He sighed, pulling his glasses out of his sweat pant's pocket. "But you can not blame them! They live to make people's lives a living hell, mine especially. They're children... But, we're all excited that YOU are taking our brother's place in Seguchi-sama's band! You seem to be a wonderful person, one that would make him proud. Seguchi-sama is a genius! You will all go far! And I have the glory of watching behind the side lines!" The teen smiled nervously as he sat down, then he glared at the other three boys in warning.

Shinya chuckled lightly as Ryuichi blinked in confusion.

"Oh... don't mind him... He's always been a... fan of Tohma's. He's a bit obsessive... but I'm sure you can understand." he sighed.

Ryuichi only giggled.

"No worries! I just wanna eat the food that smells so good!" He smiled, and Shinya grinned back before he walked over towards the stove and he began to dish out plates of food for everyone.

"Alright then, eat up!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma groaned.

Even with the knowledge of Ryuichi's safety, he still hadn't slept for more than a few hours.

"I hate this..." he grumbled as he stepped into the large bathroom, grabbing the brush as he went.

He quickly tidied himself up, not bothering to shower as he quickly dressed and crawled out the door, starting on his quest of walking to Shinya's.

A hard task indeed for someone still half asleep...

After bumping into countless people, and apologizing frantically to them all, Tohma almost walked past the small shop to his right.

He paused and glanced threw the window, smiling in satisfaction at the large sign lingering in the door way.

Coffee.

He sighed and stepped into the small convenient shop and smiled as he realized that it was the exact same coffee shop he'd walked into the previous night. And as he made his way to the counter, the kind old woman looked up at him with hope.

"So young man... did you mange to find him?"

Tohma smiled and she sighed in relief.

"Yes, I've found him. He somehow ended up at my good friend's house." he sighed and sat down in the stool. "I'll have to get the full story once I see him."

"That's wonderful dear! I'm so happy for you! Where is he?" she asked, looking over his shoulder as if he were going to walk in the door any second.

"I'm going on my way to meet him right after I pump myself full of caffeine right here." he laughed nervously.

She smiled and immediately poured him a steaming cup of coffee.

"Well, tell him I've said hello when you finally see him, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll do that." Tohma sighed and welcomed the warmth of the liquid sliding down his throat.

"One last thing however..." The woman leaned on the counter in front of Tohma.

Tohma raised an eyebrow.

"Sure thing..."

"Well, I'm curious... why exactly did he run away in the first place? He chose an awfully poor night to do so."

Tohma groaned as he was forced to think about the situation again...as if he hadn't dwelled on it ALL night...

"Well... as I said last night, my one friend doesn't seem to really like him, and she voiced her opinion of him, to his face... It really hurt him... He's been through so much in the past that he's really untrusting of people, and he kinda craves attention... Her not liking him really seemed to kinda crush him, especially when she's around me a lot." Tohma frowned and finished off his cup quickly.

The old woman smiled sadly.

" Seems as though he's just lonely... like he needs someone or something to hold on to at all times... Some people are like that. Take really young children for example. They all carry around some item that makes them feel secure. Wether it be a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a toy, it takes years sometimes for them to let it go. Some teens, and even adults are the same way. Heck, even I still hold something close to me, even if I don't bring it everywhere I go... I have a beautiful quilt that I refuse to sleep without." She laughed lightly as Tohma smiled.

"So... you're saying that I should get him something he can hold onto whenever he feels lonely?"

The woman smiled.

"Exactly."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi smiled as he watched the three young children chase Sano around the living room, Shinya beside him contently reading a music magazine.

Shinya chuckled lightly as the doorbell rang and all three children seemed stopped in their tracks, all eyes on the front door

"That must be Tohma... Sano, can you get the door?" Shinya smiled, and the teen sitting across the room practically flew towards the door.

Ryuichi smiled nervously.

"Shinya? Was...was Tohma angry with me?" he murmured softly.

Shinya nearly laughed.

"Why would he be? You did nothing!" he sighed and looked up grinning as Sano returned, trailing closely behind Tohma, who seemed undisturbed by the teen's actions.

"Shinya, it's great to see you! How are you?" Tohma smiled, walking over to the two.

Shinya yawned.

"I'm good. A bit tired, but we all had a long night. So it's understandable..."

Tohma nodded.

"Yes, yes we have... I really would love to stay, but Ryuichi and I have a lot to discuss... as you probably figured. I hope you understand..." Tohma sighed.

Shinya nodded.

"I'm sure you do... Go ahead! He's all yours! It was great having him. Just warn me next time so I can get the guest room set up... the couch is murder..." He laughed lightly.

Ryuichi smiled weakly, and jumped at Tohma, wrapping his arms around his neck as he snuggled into it.

"I see that you missed me Ryu..."

Ryuichi chuckled and nuzzled the blonde happily.

"Mmmhmm..."

Tohma sighed and looked back to his ex-band mate.

"I'll be seeing you soon Shinya, I promise." Tohma smiled.

"You better!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the two walked home, the trip was fairly silent...

The worst thing about it all, in Ryuichi's opinion?

Tohma... was grinning...

Ryuichi wasn't completely sure, but he didn't think Tohma was mad...

But this...non-anger smile, was still a scary smile... even if not THE scary smile.

And it confused him.

Ryuichi sighed and stared at the grinning blonde in frustration.

He had done something, Ryuichi decided...

This something, if by past experience, could be great... or something utterly creepy...

Like... when he had gone back to school the next time after the Tanaka incident, and Tanaka had been kicked out of all sports... and then he was mysteriously failing math... ( even though he was a genius at it) and then... he had later opened his locker, only to be covered in frogs...

Tohma had been grinning then too when he had returned home...

Ryuichi had soon learned that revenge was just something Tohma-ish, and he was to dismiss it completely.

After all, Tohma was just paying the people who made him miserable back...

And to Ryuichi, that was fine...

Now, this smile, was something...something new...

It was more of a... well, proud smile... as if he had accomplished something great.

Ryuichi frowned.

He was getting himself way too curious for the current situation...

Suddenly, without warning, Tohma placed a hand on his shoulder... and due to him being in such deep thought, Ryuichi...well...panicked...

"Neeh!" He yelped, flying backwards.

Tohma's eyes widened, and he reached out in hopes to catch Ryuichi, but it was not to be. He landed in a heap, on his ass, sprawled on the sidewalk.

Tohma stifled back a giggle, and reached down to help the him up.

"Is there something wrong, Ryuichi?" Tohma raised an eyebrow.

After all, the teen had been so deep in thought, he hadn't even heard him trying to speak to him...

Ryuichi's eyes narrowed.

"What are you plotting! You look all evil when you're plotting... You're plotting!" Ryuichi accused, pointing his finger at the blonde.

Tohma chuckled.

"You'll just have to wait and see...now won't you?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

What on Earth could Tohma have done?

Well, we'll all just have to wait until next chapter to find out, ne?


	15. Chapter 16

I'm still going strong with this updating quick thing, yay!

Keep letting me know what you think, and I'll keep responding :)

Hopefully i can keep this up a while longer!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After the long, extremely awkward walk, they finally got home. After getting into the apartment, Ryuichi sighed, feeling the warmth of the heat of the room rush over him.

Tohma chuckled at Ryuichi's look of relief.

"Nice to be home, right?"

Ryuichi's eyes re-narrowed as he glanced back at the blonde.

"Yes... now that we're here... What did you do! You're all sneaky and stuffs... tell me!" He whined, tugging on Tohma's jacket..

Ryuichi then noticed, after all this time, the bulge in the jacket on Tohma's one side.

He poked it, then flung himself against the far wall of the living room, his photo album in hand, held up as a shield.

Tohma smiled as Ryuichi's look of confusion grew even further.

"Tohma? Whatcha got all squishy?" He asked, peering over the book in hand.

"It's my apparent 'Plot'." He smiled as Ryuichi raised an eyebrow. "Sit..."

Ryuichi obeyed, walking back to the center of the room, sitting cross legged on the couch as Tohma stepped towards him.

He frowned.

Tohma could have just about anything on his person...and he was leery about that fact...

He sighed and wrapped his arms around the couch pillow, hugging it to his chest.

The strange thing?

His actions only made Tohma's grin larger... and it puzzled Ryu.

"Ryuichi, after certain observations, and an old woman's advise, I got to thinking..." Tohma trailed off.

Ryuichi sweat-dropped.

What did some old lady have to do with anything?

"Well, I...I just... here!" Tohma turned away in embarrassment, face as pink as the small stuffed bunny he had shoved into the brunette's arms.

Ryuichi stared wide eyed at the soft object in his lap, then looked up at Tohma.

The blonde smiled nervously.

"Well...I've noticed something...Whenever you're upset, uncomfortable, bored, or lonely... you attach yourself to the nearest huggable thing. Like that pillow you've been constantly smothering...I'll likely have to replace the set soon, as the one's getting the imprint of your arms in it..." He motioned to the discarded object on the floor, "So... I've given you something more meaningful to hold..." Tohma sighed, watching the brunette stare at his lap.

Suddenly, as per usual and without warning, Tohma was knocked onto his back, hitting the soft plush rug in not so soft manner...

"Ryuichi-" Tohma began to question, only to silenced by Ryuichi's lips covering his own.

After a few moments Ryuichi pulled away and smirked at the blonde.

"Thank you Tohma... really... thank you... but, you know what?"

Tohma blinked, still recovering from the sudden kiss.

"W-what?"

Ryuichi chuckled and snuggled up to Tohma on the floor.

"I really don't need anything to hold as long as you're beside me..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinya sighed and snuggled back into the soft pillows of his bed, glad to finally have it back all to himself.

He smiled weakly and looked over at the bedside table, where a lamp and single photo stood.

He frowned, and this time gave a sigh of sadness. He picked up the photo, holding it in front of him.

' What DID ever happen to the old times?' he groaned, and set the photo on his chest closing his eyes.

~FLASH~

"Noriko! Come on! What on earth are you doing!" Shinya yelped in panic as he dashed around backstage, searching for their youngest band mate.

Tohma groaned.

There were reasons people called her 'Hyper Little Nori'... and they were being shown now...

Noriko laughed and jumped out from behind one of the curtains, dragging a random victim towards the to boys.

Shinya's eyes narrowed.

"A bit of a bad time to be trying to get a boyfriend Tokai..."

She glared at him and playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Ha, ha, very funny! As if anyone in this school is worthy enough to date ME Sakano! Really now...be nice..." She sighed, letting go of the poor boy she had been dragging, and replacing her grip upon Tohma and Shinya.

"Nori!" Tohma yelped in surprise as she yanked him away from his keyboard. " What on earth is this all about!"

Shinya sighed and just decided it was easier to follow the tiny brunette then for her to yell and drag him.

Noriko smiled and stood the two next to each other, causing both boys to become extremely confused.

Noriko just continued to grin.

"Look you two! This will be our first public performance! You can't go about it without securing memories! Therefore... PHOTO OPPORTUNITY!" She shouted happily as she pushed behind them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders.

The boy she had randomly dragged with her stood up shakily and sighed as he raised the camera to his view.

"Say cheese you two!" She grinned, and Tohma and Shinya did the same.

CLICK!

- - End Flashback - -

Shinya growled and suddenly shot out of bed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the phone began to ring, Noriko perked up instantly, and dashed towards it.

It was quite possible that Tohma had finally gotten up and called her... hell, she'd only called the man 27 times...

"Moshi-Moshi!" She shouted cheerfully, twisting her fingers through the curled phone cord.

However, it was not a happy, cheerful Tohma on the line like she had hoped...

"What the hell is your problem!"

Noriko yelped, and nearly dropped the phone in shock.

"S-Shinya?" She stuttered. "What on earth are you talking about?" She paled, instantly recognizing the voice.

Tohma wouldn't have told him... would he?

"Don't act as if you know nothing!" He growled. "You're supposed to be Tohma's friend! And even if for some stupid reason you don't like Ryu, you have a duty as his band mate to at least be civil with him!"

Noriko whimpered.

"Why are you taking HIS side! You haven't even seen what's been going on! It's not right! He's ruining himself! He's destroying his future life with Mika!"

Shinya clenched his teeth.

"You know what I think! I think that the only reason you're pissed off is because things aren't going YOUR way! YOU want Tohma to be with Mika! YOU are Mika's best friend. And YOU are the one causing Tohma pain. Not Ryu! And whether or not you'll admit it, YOU are upset because I quit the band! And it upsets you because you can't have things like they used to be..."

"...But..."

"I'm not finished yet!" Shinya silenced her. " Nori... things can't always stay the same... things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it. I didn't WANT my mother to die... but I couldn't prevent it from happening. That's life... And we have to deal with it... changes happen. I can no longer make music with you two ... I have people to take care of. I can't watch over you and Tohma anymore either..." He sighed, and began to try and calm himself down.

Noriko sniffled.

"Shinya... "

"Noriko... Ryuichi has to be there now to hold everything together. He may not be as strong of a role model for you two, but he'll have to do... He makes Tohma so very happy, and that should be enough for you... You were always the strongest next to me, and it's your turn to be strong for everyone. If for nothing else... be civil to Ryu for me..."

Noriko sighed, wiping away the few tears she had shed when Shinya had first began.

"But... I don't approve of him..." she mumbled...

Shinya sighed, and managed to chuckle lightly.

"I never said that you HAD to LIKE him Nori... just... well, tolerate him, alright?"

Noriko groaned.

"Fine... for you, I'll tolerate him... but I still loathe him with the fiery passions of hell..."

"Good girl! That's all I ask of you Nori..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tohma!" The blonde flinched slightly as Ryuichi hollered through the house rather unexpectedly.

He sighed, and he dropped the book he had been reading, then walked to the living room where the singer currently resided.

"What is it Ryu?" He smiled weakly as he glanced up at Ryu's head, which seemed to be the new resting place for the bunny he'd given him...

Ryuichi grinned happily.

"Me and Kuma-chan are hungry Tohma!"

The blonde blinked.

"K-Kuma-chan?" Tohma blanched.

He had actually named the stuffed bunny...

"Yep! He needed a name! I could just say 'Hey Rabbit!' or ' What's up Bunny', now could I?" Ryuichi continued to grin.

"And... it...it's hungry?" Tohma nearly groaned.

He squeezed he bridge of his nose and shut his eyes.

Maybe getting the pink rabbit HADN'T been such a good idea...

"Yeah! He's a growing bunny! He needs food too!" Ryuichi insisted, pointing at the stuffed animal that had now somehow made it's way from his head, into his lap, even though Tohma hadn't seen Ryuichi move...

Tohma groaned.

Best not to dwell on that one...

"All...right... I suppose..." Tohma sighed.

He could get used to this, right?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What the hell happened!" Mika screamed, as her brother stepped into the house.

Eiri had returned home, and after kicking off his shoes and slipping into his house slippers, he'd turned to face Mika. Instead of him greeting her with a grin, he grimaced. He sported a split lip, and he'd clearly been whacked in the face while wearing his glasses, as they were nowhere in sight, and the bridge o his nose had a stripe of a bruise forming across it. Even at a first glance, Mika knew that he'd be lucky to not have a set of black eyes in the morning. Nose shots tended to always form raccoon eyes..

"They wouldn't leave me alone...so I smashed one of them upside the head with my math book..."he grumbled, pulling the nearly 2 inch thick book out of his bag to show her. "However...a there was only one of me...and at least 3 of them...one book wasn't enough, and the one caught me off guard, and popped me n the mouth...and then they got a hold of the book and dropped it on my face..." He murmured, pulling his glasses from his pocket.

They were cracked in half, and one of the ear bars was loosely hanging at the hinge.

"Oh Eiri...why do you have to go and lash out..." she sighed, reaching over his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug.

"Because! They called me a Gaijin! Meeks, I'm not! Just because I look different from you, father, and Tats, doesn't mean I'm not just like you!" He stomped his feet.

By now, the 10 year old was coming close to tears, and Mika couldn't bare it.

"I'll talk to dad... don't worry...maybe we can get you in a private school instead, or maybe enroll in a home school program and get you a tutor?" She suggested with a smile.

Eiri's face screwed up unhappily.

"I don't want a different school! I just want to be treated just like everyone else...is that so much to ask?"

Mika smiled sadly.

"No Eiri...it's not..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shinya could honestly say that his brothers amused him.

Often, he thought there was far going on in the house to fully pay attention to everyone at once, but every so often he caught tidbits that just flat out amused him...and yet, some of those amusements turned into annoyances quickly...

Like when it had been dinner...and he'd made pancakes, as it was fast, and the youngest two had found it funny to throw them at each other like frisbees.

Covered in syrup...

He could honestly say that getting the syrup off of the ceiling would be a trip...

But syrup covered bodies (which he'd thrown immediately into the tub after eating) were nothing once compared to the spoons that were mysteriously stuck beneath the table... Shinya suspected super glue, but he could not for the life of him understand that one...why any child would want to super glue 5 spoons- correction, 6 spoons, and 1 fork, to the underside of the table, but he dare not ask.

Nor would he tackle that one until the morning either...

And then, he'd gone to put the 2nd oldest to bed while the 2 younger bathed, only to find him missing. He'd located him a half hour later...in the closet... hanging upside down...

He'd then been hissed at, and screamed at for disturbing his 'vampire' slumber in his coffin chamber...

Children...

He could honestly say, that out of the 4 brothers, the only normal one was the oldest, Sanosuke.

In fact, not only was he normal personality wise, he was the only one who looked rather normal too...

Were as all 3 younger sibling had shaggy unkept hair, and it was a fight each morning to dress them ( rain coats, tutus, bow ties, top hats, and swimming trunks are definitely not school appropriate...) His eldest of the 4 younger brothers ate, then bathed without problems first thing in the morning. By the time he left the bathroom, his school uniform was neatly upon his person, his raven hair nicely combed, and all school things together by the front door. And while he was at work, and the kids were not in school, he kindly took care of his younger siblings until his return, even making dinner most nights.

He had no hope whatsoever that the younger 3 would follow in his footsteps upon stepping into the teenage years...

But... such was life...

Shinya sighed, giving once last glance at the table, where he knew silverware dwelled beneath, and at the syrup covered ceiling, and then trotted off to his room, where he planned to make, than collapse onto his welcoming bed.

However, upon opening th door to his room, he discovered his bed already made, and a small smile slipped onto his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yup, yup! Another one has been completed and posted! I hope to have the next one up quick too, but we shall see!


	16. Chapter 17

I apologize for the wait!

After updating so fast all week, I kinda got knocked into something that took up a LOT of time, and ended up slacking in my updates again...

So, for the 2 that review, I'm sorry I said it would be updated the following morning, and then it was not... although I think this chapter will make up for it

Well, enjoy!

I have the rest of the story charted out now bit by bit, I just have to turn it into story format, but I do know ever event that will take place. Estimated number of chapters left? Somewhere between 10-20...I think...could be more, but not likely, and could be less, depending on how much I cover per chapter.

From here on out, updates will likely be no more than once a week, unless I really get going at some point randomly. This is because everything will be written from scratch, not something I have loosely written already. I do have 2-3 chapters written to take place a few chapters from now, but they do me no good until I get there.

But yes, please continue to read, and review, and I hope this story continues to please you all!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma sighed as he watched Ryuichi babble on to him about the day's events, Noriko glaring tolerantly in his direction.

He had to hand it to her... She was at least trying, and that was all that he could hope for. In all honesty. He had wondered what Shinya had done to the girl to spark this new change of attitude, but he was pretty sure he'd never find out what had gone on.

In short though, life was good.

Tohma figured that in a few short ( or perhaps long...) Weeks, they'd have enough material to go out and play somewhere, their new Nittle Grasper revival..

The song Ryuichi had finished, now titled "Sleepless Beauty", was completely polished off and completed. Noriko still seemed sore on the matter, but Tohma hoped that the situation would blow over before their first concert finally came around. Tohma once more began visiting Shinya (after protesting that Tohma no longer saw him).

Shinya, of course, still looked forward to seeing the man that took his place in action, and he even helped ease Tohma's frustration whenever he seemed to be stuck during revisions of the many newly started songs.

Mika, however, was a completely different story all together...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma sat at his keyboard, quietly playing out the finished version of Sleepless Beauty that Ryuichi and him had worked on. After getting half way through the intro, the phone began to ring, shooting Tohma out of his deep concentration.

Tohma sighed, and stepped away from his keyboard, walking over to the phone table where the loud ringing had started from. He stretched, and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello? Seguchi speaking." He stifled back a yawn and slumped down into a chair.

"Tohma... we need to talk..." Mika's soft voice answered him, making him drop the phone in a shocked panic.

"Tohma?" Mika's voice yelped from the phone's position on the floor.

Tohma blinked, and then quickly scrambled to pick the phone up.

Why was she calling!

"M-Mika? Why are you calling me? Uh... I mean... so late..." Tohma winced.

There was a slight giggle at the other end of the line.

"Still a spazz as usual, hmm?"

Tohma took in a deep gulp of air, and spun in his chair..

"Nothing changes. I'm predictable, remember?" He chuckled lightly. "Why are you gracing me with your voice?" He smiled weakly.

"I...don't know really...It's just strange not having you around...I miss you I guess. The boys too. Dad's even having a hissy-fit over your absence...I'm positive he knows something's up, but he hasn't had the heart to say anything yet. He just sits down in front of the shrine and prays frantically, occasionally shooting glances at me..." She trailed off.

Tohma squeezed the bridge of his nose and winced. Surely he knew where the conversation was heading...

"Really? You miss me...even after so long?"

Mika laughed, and Tohma blinked, letting the chair spin around once more..

"Of course... we've always worked things out in the end. I could never NOT miss you. Maybe we could... you know,-"

Tohma quickly interrupted, almost dropping the phone once more in the process.

"No!...I mean, well...we shouldn't... really...uh-" Tohma mentally kicked himself as Mika let out a crestfallen 'what?'.

"Why? Why not!" She seemed to be trying to withhold a whimper.

Tohma sighed.

What to do?

"Well... as Noriko may have mentioned to you, we just found a replacement for Shinya recently. It's... very stressful for us all."

Mika sighed.

"Well...continue then..." She seemed slightly calmer than previously.

"Well... with everything that's going on, it wouldn't be so smart to just jump straight back into our relationship. I'd be so snappy, and all we'd end up doing is argue. That's how we got into this situation in the first place. Just... you know, wait a bit, alright?" Tohma pleaded.

To Mika, it sounded as though he was really being truthful.

However, as Tohma explained himself, he was silently pleading that she'd buy his excuse. After all, if Mika really knew...well, more than a FEW lives would indeed be ruined...

Mika let out a heavy, relieved sigh.

"Really? Is that all?"

Tohma nearly fell off his seat.

"HUH!" He yelped, eyes bulging.

Had Noriko led her to believe more?

"I mean," Mika giggled nervously. "I kinda thought when you said no...that you really meant forever. Like maybe... you were seeing someone else? But, I guess I was kinda stupid in thinking so, huh?" Mika laughed.

Tohma paled and gulped.

"Yeah...stupid..." He slumped, ad stared at the floor.

He could hear Ryuichi's laughter in the next room, evidently watching some cartoon he'd flipped to.

"I mean," Mika continued. " After all, we are technically engaged, and it's practically been planned by family and my own for years. I know how you are... always trying to be the best that you can be for your father. You'd never do anything to upset him... And I know you'll eventually be that way for me someday... we can't have lover's quarrels our whole life, now can we? Sure, we'll have our differences, and our share of rough times, but that's life."

"Yeah..." he murmured.

She had a point...but that only meant that things were going to rapidly fall apart in the near future...

"Well! I guess I'll talk to you later then...right?" Mika perked up.

"Of course..."

"Ja!" Mika laughed, and ended the conversation.

And that was why one Tohma Seguchi felt like a complete, total ass. For... in the end, he had not been able to tell her the truth...

He'd gone to bed without Ryuichi, and he was deep asleep by the time he'd finished watching his show and joined him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Now, for Ryuichi, life was simply...well, perfect.

In all his life, he had never been happier. He lived in a wonderfully large apartment, with the most wonderful person he had ever met, AND he was currently starting to live his dream of singing.

Life was good.

He pranced through the house looking for his blonde companion. It had been another productive band practice day. Noriko had left only a short time ago, and Tohma had gone off in search for something to ease his headache away. Tohma had been REALLY stressed lately. He took his music, AND his work way far too seriously, even though it seemed to be starting to affect him in a not so good way.

Ryuichi had also noticed that in his time living with him, more often than not, Tohma had a great deal of trouble sleeping. Particularly when his father had him do large amounts of paperwork, due the next day.

Ryuichi concluded that he indeed, did not like Seguchi-san... even without meeting him.

He had voiced this to Tohma with a quite blunt, "I don't like 'um!"

Tohma had just merely laughed, and continued cooking breakfast. Ryuichi however, was willing to bet that Tohma didn't like him either... but he didn't tell him that.

He hadn't had the heart to ask Tohma about his life outside the one Ryuichi lived in. It seemed very stressful, and very boring. His father didn't seem like a mean man from what he'd heard, just strict, and unwavering. Other than Seguchi-san though, he'd not heard a word about Tohma's family life. Someday, he'd ask him, but for now, he was content.

Ryuichi sighed and slumped onto his and Tohma's bed, stretching out like a cat, as Tohma walked into the room.

"Hello, Ryuichi..." Tohma yawned as he tossed the briefcase he'd been carrying half way across the room.

Ryuichi gasped.

"You said you were going to look for some aspirin, and you were really working again! Liaaaaaaar!" He hissed accusingly, pointing at him.

Tohma only laughed in response.

"I'm only half a liar... I took some aspirin, but I also needed to finish looking over a document. I'm done now, see?" He smiled, and joined the brunette on the bed.

"You better be..." Ryuichi grumbled, crawling towards Tohma.

Tohma raised an eyebrow, and sensing the oncoming attack, he attempted to launch himself off the bed.

Only...

His plan didn't work so well, and in the end, he ended up pinned beneath a smirking Ryuichi.

"Now, why would you want to run?" Ryuichi purred, his breath tickling Tohma's ear.

He shuddered, and attempted to wiggle out from beneath him, only further entertaining Ryu.

Ryuichi chuckled amusedly.

"Nope. You're mine!"

In the next few moments, Tohma realized that after living with Ryuichi for a few months, Ryuichi had been quite...

Tame.

And now he understood quite well, that Ryuichi had been severely holding back, likely for his sake and not his own, but not tonight...

He found his wrists pinned above his head, and his neck occupied by Ryuichi's warm, hungry mouth.

"Tohma Seguchi... I LOVE you..." He growled, moving to Tohma's mouth as he drowned out the yelps and whimpering of the panicked blonde.

Tohma's eyes widened for a moment in shock, but quickly adjusted and closed his eyes, furrowing his brow as he allowed himself to kiss Ryuichi back. For once, maybe he could allow things to progress...Tohma had not yet lost his feelings of panic that overwhelmed him each and every time he and Ryuichi tried to do anything...well, intimate? Surly after months, he could maybe...try again?

Ryuichi seemed to revel in the fact that for once, the kiss wasn't just one-sided, and he released the blondes hands to run his own up the side of Tohma's shirt. Ryuichi forced his tongue into Tohma's mouth with little effort, and the blonde whimpered slightly at the feeling. Tohma groaned and buried his newly freed hands into Ryuichi's shirt.

"R-Ryu...ichi!" He panted as his mouth was temporarily freed.

Ryuichi chuckled happily and ran a hand through the blonde's soft hair.

Tohma wrapped his arms under Ryuichi's and clutched at the shirt on his back even more tightly. The simple piece of clothing had suddenly become extremely annoying and in the way. Tohma tugged up on it and he soon was able to yank it over Ryuichi's head.

Ryuichi tossed his shirt away from himself and then helped Tohma pull his shirt off as well, although Tohma was rather sure he'd just lost a few buttons...

He was about to go back to ravaging the blonde's neck, but a pair of soft hands pushing up on his chest made him stop. He paused and couldn't stop himself from smirking as he watched Tohma's eyes wander up and down his now bare chest and stomach. He grinned lovingly and the chuckled lightly.

The small sound jolted Tohma from his somewhat day-dreaming state and he looked quickly to Ryuichi's face. The smile he found there took him off-guard and his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. The brunette went down on all fours over Tohma and whispered in his ear.

"...Like what you see, Tohma?"

Ryuichi moved himself lower upon the blonde and kissed just above the start of Tohma's pants, and then all at once, he pulled them off, making sure to drag Tohma's boxers down with them. Somewhere along the line, he'd managed to undo his pants without his knowledge...

Tohma gasped at the sudden breeze inching across his naked body, and he couldn't help but blush a deep crimson, despite the fact that Ryuichi had seen him full on prior to now.

Ryuichi pressed his tongue firmly against the inside of Tohma's left thigh and licked up towards his center with urgency. Then, never breaking the contact of his tongue to Tohma's skin, he licked all the way up Tohma's length.

Tohma squirmed, and found it took much of his strength to keep from kicking the brunette to escape this embarrassment...

"Ah!...Ryuichi...".

Ryuichi grunted, and fought back a giggle.

He'd waited soooo long to hear Tohma say his name like that... Even more so, he wanted to hear it again...only louder...

He sucked hard at the tip, flicking his tongue the right way, making Tohma moan just a bit louder.

Tohma clenched the fitted sheet in his fists at his side

"Nnnngh!" He felt the pace of his breathing increase, and it took all of the will power he had to keep from bucking up into Ryuichi's warm, wet mouth.

He bit his bottom lip, but found that it only made him even more uncomfortable. He opened his mouth hesitantly, slightly worried about the noises his body most surely would make. Nearly afterwards, however, he decided that whatever sounds he made didn't matter...

He moaned with each exhale as Ryuichi moved his seemingly expert mouth and tongue over the most sensitive part of his body. He could hardly stand it, and the only way to get rid of his pent-up sudden want to move his body, was to scream...as loudly as he could.

So he did...

"Fuck!"

Finally, Tohma couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his feet onto the soft surface of the bed, and gripped the headboard tightly, arching upwards and pushing himself farther into Ryuichi's mouth as he came.

"Ryu...ichi!" He screamed.

Ryuichi took as much of the sticky liquid into his mouth as he could and then sat up on his knees, swallowing quickly. Then he crawled up to Tohma's face, kissing him.

"Now," Ryuichi panted. " that wasn't... so hard, now was it?" He grinned and nuzzled the crook of Tohma's neck as the blonde grunted, at a loss for words.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Whoo...we're done...

Chapter 18 will arrive as soon as I can get it done.

This chapter was the main reason (well, thus far) I changed the rating of this fic a few chapters ago...

Hope you continue to enjoy!


	17. Chapter 18

Yay! I'm happy to have this chapter out so soon!

It's a challenge putting chapters together just from notes at this point.

A special thanks to AnitaRealityCheck, my partner in crime for all Gundam Fics, for providing a rough draft of a portion of this chapter. She is the 'Queen of Family Arguments', and in being so she helped me out greatly when I was seriously at a loss for what to write! And give her special props for coming up with what she did when she only has a brief knowledge of the Gravitation series!

(Can we all agree that Tohma is Quatre's evil twin? *Gundam Wing*)

And thank you t.a.g.! Your reviews are entertaining as hell!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma perked up dramatically over the next few days. Ryuichi couldn't help himself, and was frequently found smirking at the blonde. Noriko just plain ass didn't want to know...

They practiced Sleepless Beauty on and off each day, as of course, practice makes perfect. The three continued to work out an additional 3 songs, although they were coming along much slower than the first with the three of them working on each of them together, trying to equally share the creation process.

Noriko only seemed to improve personality wise as time went on. She still refused to talk to Ryuichi in a friendly way rather than the typical co-worker treatment, but tolerance was far better then having fights break out left and right, and this Tohma was grateful for.

Although Tohma seemed to be in a much better mood, Ryuichi noticed that he was returning home each day more and more tired, and Tohma, although so very tired, seemed to be sleeping less and less. This concerned him greatly, but Tohma brushed it off with a smile.

Still things were pleasant.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-'

Full on happiness wasn't to last long.

Nearly a week after Mika's surprise phone call, she called again, this time in the middle of practice.

Ryuichi watched Tohma sadly as he paced the room as they babbled back and forth, and to make matters worse, Noriko looked rather smug.

Ryuichi's heart was pounding by the end of the phone call, and he was looking rather stressed as Tohma collapsed back onto his stool.

Tohma sighed, and stretched slightly.

"Longest, most awkward phone call ever..." he grumbled.

This reaction of course caused two totally different reactions. Ryuichi of course perked up a bit, and Noriko face was graced with another frown.

"What did she want?" Ryuichi tilted his head.

Tohma smiled at this.

"Just random chit chat...things that have been going on a school, although Noriko's been keeping me well posted...Told me Eiri is getting more bullied than ever this year, that Uesugi-san is sincerely thinking of taking him out of school in favor of schooling him in home, although personally I don't think this will solve any problems, but instead make things worse... Tatsuha's acting up again...he evidently threw a fit when he wasn't allowed to keep a rabbit that hopped into the shrine the other day..." he turned to Noriko, "You know how that man is with animals. Practically jumped down the kid's throat because he said he'd make the thing a cage...poor boy protested that rabbits were good luck, and his father, not thinking, said only their feet were lucky, and had the audacity to explain to the poor kid that the feet were normally separated from the rabbits... Uesugi-san clearly doesn't know what to say and NOT to say to him... but regardless, he's evidently now having nightmares about severed rabbit feet..." he sighed.

Noriko couldn't help herself, and busted out laughing.

Ryuichi unconsciously grabbed Kumagoru and held him tight.

Noriko steadied herself and grinned.

"Well, what else did she have to say?" She questioned hopefully.

Tohma just ignored her enthusiasm.

"Nothing, that was pretty much just it. Random current events."

Noriko was quite visibly displeased with this information, and she huffed before turning away from him.

Ryuichi, however, seemed content with this info.

The rest of the night proceeded awkwardly, Noriko seemingly angry with both men.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma awoke early the next morning after few hours of sleep.

This time, Ryuichi could not ignore the alarm clock, as it went off several times before Tohma managed to make it out of the bed.

Tohma stretched lazily, and groaned as he pulled himself out of the bed from his cocoon of covers.

The lack of sleep Tohma had been getting lately was starting to take a toll on his fair features. Dark rings were forming below his eyes, and Ryuichi had noticed more often than not, that Tohma was just letting his hair do what it wanted.

"You shouldn't go Tohma...get some more sleep..." Ryuichi murmured.

Tohma answered him with a tired grin and shook his head sadly.

"Just because I left it up to you whether or not to continue going to your classes, doesn't mean that I have so little respect for school myself... I had perfect attendance all throughout high school, and I fully intend to continue the pattern with my college classes..."

Ryuichi blew a raspberry.

"No fun Tohma...you need sleep!" he whined.

Tohma managed a chuckle.

"It's not sleep I need Ryu, I need a vacation..." he grumbled, pulling his coat out of the closet.

This only made Ryuichi's frown grow.

Evidently, Tohma was skipping the shower today all together...

His eyes narrowed.

"No, what you need is a good kick in the head... and least you'd be sleeping then..."

"Ryuichi. I'm not in the mood for arguing with you this morning... After my classes are done, we can nap, alright?"

Ryuichi seemed to struggle with this before nodding sadly.

"Kay..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

While Tohma regretfully trotted off to his classes, Ryuichi became bored with himself. Tohma was unnaturally clean, so there wasn't much to straighten up around the house. Unfortunately, it was days such as these that the singer got stir crazy...

Hours alone in an empty, clean, quiet house, with little to nothing to do, and nowhere to really go.

He stared at the counter by the door intensely, glaring at the single drawer it held.

Tohma had placed a credit card there, in case Ryuichi ever needed it. Tohma had even gone as far as putting HIS name on it so he could use it freely. Of course, Ryuichi had protested this greatly. It was Tohma's money, not his...and yet...It sat there, in the drawer taunting him every time the blonde left the house without him.

Tohma had said weeks ago that they were going to go out shopping together to get stuff for the house, and some new clothes for him, but with all that had been going on, Tohma hadn't had the time yet.

After several long minutes, Ryuichi gave a strangled sighed, and grabbed a coat before diving into the drawer and out the door.

Perhaps a little shopping couldn't hurt...he wouldn't go over board...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma managed to get through his first class with no problems, however...he was not so lucky when it came to his second, and final class for the day...

He'd made it half way through the lecture, and then the next thing he knew, he was being dismissed from class having been caught napping, not that it had been intentional.

Afterwards, he'd made his way to the coffee house he'd been visiting frequently since the night Ryuichi had ended up at Shinya's. Since it was daytime, the kind old woman was not working, and a far less tolerable perky teen was bouncing all over the place.

Today he took his coffee to go...

He'd been just about ready to make his way home, and then his phone rang.

Regretfully, he was being called into work...

Looking at the time, He'd have only just gotten out of class had he been permitted to stay...

His eyes narrowed.

So now he was expected to come in on his days off?

Grudgingly, he made his way back to his car, coffee in hand, and took off, not towards home, but towards the middle of the city, to his father's buildings.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi decided that going shopping had been an excellent idea...

He only hoped that Tohma wouldn't be too angry with him when he got home, as he'd already plowed his way through 3 clothing shops, and was sporting a decent amount of bags. He hadn't been able to help himself in the end, and he had to admit to himself, the clothes were needed. The few shirts and jeans he'd come with were wearing out fast, and the soles of his shoes had been deteriorating. As Tohma had requested, he'd not only bought T-shirts, and had picked up a few tanks, some dress shirts, and he'd even found an extremely plush hoodie he'd liked quite a bit. He had tossed his old shoes in the nearest trash can, and had gone to immediately wearing the new converse he'd purchased. Even brand new and rather stiff, they were far more comfortable than his old sneakers had been. He'd already thought about calling Tohma to see how much he could spend, but he feared that he'd be cut off already, and in his opinion, he was having too much fun to quit just yet. It had been years since he'd been able to go shopping for more than a couple of things at a time.

Kumagoru bobbed up and down on the brunette's head as he walked, and the little plush bunny almost fell forward when Ryuichi stopped abruptly to gaze longingly into the large window display.

"Oh cool..." He rocked back and forth on his heals, torn between running full speed into the store, and going on his way.

In the end, desire won out, and he came out of the store minutes later with a large bag housing a pair of black leather boots, rather pleased with himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tohma checked in with the desk girl, and she shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry Sir, we're short staffed today...the flu has invaded the building."

Tohma slumped.

"That's great..." He grumbled.

Now he'd be tired AND sick as well...

"The necessary paperwork is on your desk in the office. In addition to your usual assignments, Seguchi-san has passed blue prints onto you for his latest hotel plan. Honjo-san is sick, and will be out for a few days, but Seguchi-san needs them altered ASAP. The investors felt that six floors was not enough, and want it pushed to eight, and the length of the building adjusted another 75 feet on the far right side, in an 'L' adjustment shape rather than the existing rectangular building plan... the exact details are noted on your desk."

Tohma stared at the woman, and after a long moment let out a depressed groan.

"You're being serious...aren't you?"

"Afraid so, Sir." She dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Drafting isn't even in my department!"

By this point, several other employees had poked their heads out of the ground floor's offices to watch the president's son make a scene...

"Again, I'm sorry... Seguchi-san is confident in your abilities on this matter, and although outside your typical line of work, he feels that this will be a good experience for you, as future head of this company..." she trailed off.

Why was she always made out to be the bad guy? Why couldn't the President give this news to his own workers? Why was SHE always the one put as the center of everyone's frustrations?

Tohma let out a deep breath.

"Fine...but he's nuts if he thinks I'll start doing this on a regular basis..." he grumbled, making his way to the elevator.

The desk girl behind him gave a large sigh of relieve, and collapsed back into her chair, reaching for her coffee.

"The old man is nuts...calling me in on one of my few days off...after class...I don't need more hours, I need quite a few less...but noooo... pick on your son..." He growled, and practically punched the 'up' button for the elevator.

Some of the other employees continued to watch him, and after a few minutes of waiting for the elevator (it was still only on the tenth floor...) He'd had enough.

"Do you people MIND! Get back to your work and do your damn jobs!"

Immediately, everyone scurried like mice back into their offices, shutting the doors behind them.

The desk girl, having been startled by his sudden outburst, was now frantically mopping up her coffee with tissues.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi happily chowed down on the massive amount of food before him.

He was very pleased.

He had to do this more often, he decided, especially with Tohma.

Tohma wouldn't believe how much good food was in the area!

After finishing a meal more suited to three grown men, Ryuichi set off once more, piles of bags in hand.

At one point, said bags ended up being piled up along side a small photo booth, and as Ryuichi leapt inside, Kumagoru descended from his resting spot atop his head. Together, they took tons of goofy pictures, making funny faces, and Ryuichi vowed that he and Tohma would return to some together.

The bunny would have to stay out of that set...

Before Ryuichi had realized it, he had spent $1700, and decided it was time to go home before he did any more damage to Tohma's bank account...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Father." Tohma nodded once, stepping into the large office belonging to the Elder Seguchi. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes, please sit down..." Seguchi-san motioned to the large chair in front of his desk, looking at his son.

Tohma tensed, and reluctantly did as told.

"I have heard that you think I give you too much work." The man stated bluntly.

"Yes." He answered.

'Traitorous snitches...' He hissed mentally.

"You wish to have more hours off to pursue other things, am I correct?" He paused, allowing time for Tohma to hive a quick nod. "And I suppose that this is so you can practice more with that band of yours?"

He winced.

"Well, yes... please keep in mind that I also have classes twice a week on top of the four days you normally have me working here..." He said calmly.

He knew this wasn't going to be easy, nor pleasant, and yet he still felt the need to make his case even if futile. He was tired of all the paper work that he was constantly working on, and he needed more time to practice with the band. Not only that, but he was seeing less and less of Ryuichi, which meant him leaving him alone for many hours at a time with nothing to do.

"I need more time to practice with the rest of the band As I'm sure you've realized, Shinya's mother died. He left us to take care of the rest of his family, Noriko and I had to replace him."

"You need to stop with this band nonsense." His father stood up abruptly, but turned to gaze out the window for a few moments. "It is time that you learned how to take over for this company. I will not be around forever, and I grow older each and everyday. You yourself seem reluctant to realize that you yourself also grow older with each passing day. It's time you realized this and grow up! I is time you settled down, and married." He ended, looking into Tohma's eyes to see his reaction.

His son only glared at him.

"I'll get married when I'm good and ready to, _Father_..." Tohma responded firmly, containing his anger as best as he could. "You can't run my life. I'm not quitting the band. I've told this to you numerous times over the last four years and you can't seem to grasp that."

"That is not a life, Tohma!" The man turned around to face his son. "It has been four years! You'll never be discovered. It's a pipe dream Tohma. It is time to join reality."

"I experience reality every god damn day!" He snarled. "I'm tired! I have class, practice, homework, and then tons of paperwork. I have no time for anything, let alone some sleep! Look at me!" He stood up. "You can't deny that I'm not looking myself! I'm, exhausted!"

His father tsked sadly, but showed no signs of backing down.

"Quite the band Tohma, and then you will have the time. Then you will also have time to properly propose to Ms. Uesugi, have her as your wife, and settle down."

Tohma clenched his fists and tightened his jaw.

"I'll get married when I am ready! I am NOT going to quit the band. We are on the verge of being discovered, and-"

"You've been saying that for a long time now Tohma!" The older Seguchi slammed his fist down on his desk. "It is time you woke up! Take responsibility for your life! If your mother was-"

"But she's not is she?" The blonde retorted, interrupting the man

Tohma glared at the man, refusing to back down..

"Tohma... it's a family expectation that you are married by now... I was already married to your mother at this age! And so it has been for generations!"

"I don't care about family expectations!" Tohma yelled. "It's my life, I'm going to live it the way I want. You can't ask me to throw everything away just to conform to whatever standards you're trying to set for me!"

"You're throwing your life away!" the older man sighed.

"No, I'm throwing YOUR life away." Tohma snorted. "What you want me to do is not MY life, it's yours and how you've already lived. My life has nothing to do with all of this." He gestured to everything in the room.

At this, Tohma's father finally snapped.

"THAT IS ENOUGH! This business, and this family has EVERYTHING to do with you! Where do you get to talking to me that way? I will not tolerate such insubordination! Get out of my face.. I don't wish to see, nor speak to you until there is a wedding date set, and this pathetic dream of yours is finally laid to rest. Your request for a lighter work load has been denied. You will return here, as scheduled, as always. Your mother would be ashamed of your behavior..."

Tohma's chest tightened, and it took every ounce of self control to keep his voice steady.

"Don't worry, you won't ever have to see or hear from me again. If you can't treat me decently, I'm gone. I don't have to put up with this. Screw your schedules, I'm not coming in at all..." And with that, Tohma stormed out of the large office, slamming the door behind him.

Mr. Seguchi sat in silence, calmly waited approximately twenty minutes, and pressed the intercom button.

"Sakura, have all of Tohma-san's work forwarded to his home address."

Seguchi was not one to give up so easily...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, whoo!

First full length chapter I've had to pull out of thin air for this fic, and I think it came out quite nicely.

Again, thanks to AnitaRealityCheck, for providing a decent rough draft of the Seguchi-san Tohma argument...I seriously suck at family arguments...give me a lovers quarrel, or fight between friends, but throw any family argument at me and I just can't get started...psh...

Such is life...

Hope to have chapter 19 available asap, but we'll see how that goes!


	18. Chapter 19

Yay, chapter 19! One away from 20. I feel proud...

Hope you all enjoy the chapter, like always.

Again, sorry for the wait...these chapters take me far more time now to pull out of my head...especially chapters that live up to the rating of the fic...such as this one...lol

I can only hope the my two favorite reviewers enjoy the chapter, and all new reviewers are welcome, as they sometimes do appear.

And I can only hope that my dear friend doesn't kill me for turning her strictly hetero mind into that of a yaoi fan girl's...

With that said, you've all been warned, lol...

I've attempted to change my writing style slightly, as it makes writing fics with other people easier. Although outside help with this fic has only been used once, I do write two fics with other people, on other accounts, and I find that it will be easier if I adapt myself as a whole, not just on certain fics. I'm trying to visualize, not just tell the story, and I'm attempting to be more conscious of my paragraphing as I write. I've also decided that, in light of my spell check on this program sucking royally, I'm to force myself to re-read the chapter once complete, and pick through it more carefully. Unfortunately, this leads me into adding more as I go along -.-' I guess it's a good thing, but it makes the writing process quite a bit longer, and far more tiring for me. I should not be up until 2am doing this stuff...lol... Regardless, I hope you see the difference, and come to appreciate it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi returned home, via taxi at about 5pm. He'd first attempted to walk home, as he'd walked to where he'd gotten to, but after a single block, he knew he'd never make it all the way home in one piece with all his new baggage, and he'd flagged down the first taxi to pass him.

The trip had been long and dragged out, even though it lasted only a few blocks. He was sure that Tohma was going to be angry with him, if not for one thing, than the other... He had wanted to nap with him after class, and then he has ended up out shopping far longer than he'd originally anticipated, not to mention that he'd spent far more of Tohma's well earned money than he really should have.

After paying the taxi driver, and managing to get up to the apartment with all of his bags, and Kumagoru, he slowly cracked the door open, peering inside. To his surprise, all lights were still off. Puzzled, he lugged his bags into the living room, shut the door, and made his way to the bedroom.

No Tohma.

He made his way over to the wall phone, and to his displeasure, there were no new messages on the answering machine.

"Well, damn..." he blinked.

Where the hell could Tohma be?

He frowned, and lugged his bags into his room, and began to put his new clothes and boots away in the closet. He figured he would have to wait for Tohma to resurface, and then apologize profusely for his own absence and incidental spending spree...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After fleeing the Seguchi office building, Tohma had practically thrown himself into his car, neglecting to even put on his seat belt, as he plowed out of his spot, and into the streets of Tokyo. He drove fast, not really caring where he was going, so long as he got away as quickly as possible, all the while trying to keep himself together. After driving for some time, and attempting to clear his head, he remembered that Ryuichi was likely waiting patiently for him at home, and that he'd not even had the decency to call...

Tohma then took a moment to find out where he'd gotten himself, and started the process of returning home. A half hour later, he pulled into the parking garage, locked the car up, and silently rode the elevator up to their floor, all the while rubbing his temples, willing the sure to come headache to pass him by.

He walked up to the door to the apartment, reaching for the knob. He listened carefully, but his ears only met silence. That worried him. Ryuichi was not a quiet human being.

What if he had gone out in search for him when he hadn't come home from class? That had been hours ago. He still couldn't believe that he had forgotten to call... Ryuichi was prone to getting lost, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he disappeared without a trace again, because he had been too wrapped up in his own problems to make one short phone call...

He reached for his keys, and only after turning them in the lock did he then realized that the door had been unlocked. He turned the knob slowly, and stepped inside the door. Ryuichi's shoes were not in sight, but there was a strange new pair in their place. He slammed the door, making sure that the apartment's current occupant heard it. he wasn't too concerned... anyone bothering to take their shoes off at the door couldn't be a threat. In response to his door slamming, a crash sounded from the bedroom, forcing Tohma to throw his guard up again.

"Ryuichi?" He called out uncertainly.

His throat ached, and he swallowed heavily. He'd been straining his throat the entire car ride, willing himself to stay calm, and not totally freak out, and have a nervous breakdown while driving. It would surly take its tole on him later.

"Tohma?" came the startled response from his bedroom, and Tohma slumped in relief. "You're home now?" Ryuichi asked, calling out to him once more.

"Yeah..." He mumbled, although he was sure that Ryuichi likely hadn't heard him.

"Tohma? I was BAAAAADD..." Ryuichi whined from behind the closed door. " I only just got back myself, I'm soooo sorry! I know you were expecting me to be home earlier, and I hope that you weren't out looking for me... And I was soooo bad...I actually went out shopping today, and I'm sure I got way too carried away, I'm-"

Tohma readied himself, drawing in a deep breath, before he stepped into the room with the brunette. Ryuichi immediately stopped his frantic apology, and looked up at the blonde with worry lacing his handsome face.

"Tohma?" Ryuichi was suddenly alert, and putting on a serious face. " You...don't look so good..." He murmured, looking over Tohma's person.

Tohma met Ryuichi's worried gaze, and after a long silent moment, he felt his control break, and his throat clench and burn violently. He quickly covered his face with a hand, and sobs broke free with a vengeance.

Ryuichi's eyes bulged, and he dove off of the bed.

"Tohma! What's wrong, what the heck happened?" He managed a single step towards him, before Tohma launched himself across the room into his arms.

Upon contact, Tohma's arms snaked their way around Ryuichi's neck, and he buried his face in his shoulder. His body shook as the sobs wracked his body, but Ryuichi held on tightly.

"Tohma?" He questioned, running a hand through the blonde's hair, stroking him in an attempt at soothing him.

Getting no response other than Tohma squeezing him tighter, he stepped back, letting himself drop backwards onto the mattress, bringing Tohma down into his lap, where he continued to hold him.

"Please Tohma, tell me what happened..." He murmured. "Did I do something wrong?"

Tohma tensed, and shook his head, causing Ryuichi to breath a sigh of relief.

A small, sad smile graced the singer's lips.

"I'm glad it's not me... but I can't help if you don't tell..."

Tohma shifted, and his face slowly appeared, no longer pressed against the brunette's shoulder. He gazed up at Ryuichi, face puffy and tear streaked, and Ryuichi could honestly say that seeing Tohma in this state was upsetting... he felt a pang of sympathy, now knowing what must have gone through Tohma's own mind, the hurt he'd experienced, all the time's he'd broken down in front of him, or come through the door less than together in the beginning. The panic was mind blowing...

Tohma gaped at him, tears still falling freely down his flushed cheeks, and Ryuichi was nearly going to risk asking what happened once more, only he fell distracted as Tohma slipped a hand up the back of his head, fingers twining through his hair. The blonde pulled him close, and gently pressed his lips against his, kissing him shakily. In the shock of it, Ryuichi gave a small gasp, and Tohma intensified the kiss, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Ryuichi slumped against him, and pulled the blonde flesh against him tightly by the hips, slipping his fingers through the belt loops, acting as if they were small handles..

Ryuichi was confused, he could willingly admit that. Tohma, up until this point, had been shy, reserved even. Embarrassed about the smallest of physical contact, turning beet red at the slightest bit of nudity, and now? Now the blonde was straddling his lap, fingers digging into the muscle at his shoulders, and HE was kissing him. The tables had turned, but he wasn't about to complain...

Tohma's fingers weaved back into his hair, and he pressed himself even closer against his body. Ryuichi arched up against him, letting loose a low groan muffled by Tohma's mouth over his own.

They kissed for some time, occasionally gasping, lips parting for air. Hell, Ryuichi wasn't sure he couldn't remember how long ago all this had even started, and he didn't care, he just continued gnashing their teeth together, nibbling at Tohma's bottom lip, and his tongue occasionally darting in to caress the other. Ryuichi wasn't sure when Tohma would put a stop to it all, as he had done so many times before, so he relished in every second that it lasted... Tohma had never been so free with him, and although this was happening under a moment of strong emotional distress, who knew when Tohma would be so open again?

Tohma balled the back of Ryuichi's thin shirt in his fist, while the other hand continued to grasp the brunette's hair, trying to pull him as close to him as humanly possible.

Ryuichi became well aware that his pants were now far too tight for his liking, and he shifted, causing Tohma to unintentionally grind against him. He let out a small hiss, and pulled their locked mouths apart, burying his head in the blonde's neck to muffle a deep groan. Tohma gave a shaky sigh, before Ryuichi was on his neck. He bit in just where it met his shoulder, and grasped the bottom of the blonde's shirt, tugging it free from his slacks, slipping a hand under to run it p his chest. He reached up, claiming Tohma's lips once more, tongues twirling between them.

Ryuichi slide his hand up Tohma's back, tracing his spine, smirking against his mouth as the blonde shuddered.

"Tohma?" He questioned.

Much longer, and he wouldn't be able to will himself to stop, even if Tohma asked him too..

Tohma said nothing, and instead leaned into his soft touches and caresses, pressing close to him once again, and drawing his head back up to snag Ryuichi's mouth.

To Ryuichi, it was as close to an invite as he could get...

Tohma gasped as Ryuichi began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt, again, getting frustrated and anxious with them, resulting in more busted than unbuttoned. Within seconds, the cotton dress shirt was wrenched off of his shoulders and being flung at the nearest wall, and Ryuichi's hands were upon him, dancing across his bare torso.

Tohma's breath hitched in his throat as Ryuichi touched his lips to his collarbone, and trailed brief gentle kisses upward, before nipping at his ear. Against his better judgement, he let a moan pass through his lips.

That was all it took...

Suddenly, Tohma was flat on his back, with Ryuichi hovering above... and for once, Tohma didn't mind... He WANTED Ryuichi atop him, grinding against him, murmuring in his ear... he wanted to feel loved, to feel the burn of Ryuichi's body against his own. Of all things, Ryuichi was the one thing that no one could take from him, and he didn't want to let that go.

To Ryuichi's surprise, he clung to him... Dug his nails into the brunette's back... Wrapped a leg around his hip... and Ryuichi was enthralled...

Ryuichi's fingers frantically worked at freeing him of the remainder of his clothing, swiftly unzipping his pants, tugging them down his hips, while at the same time fumbling with his own zipper. He let out a frustrated cry when it jammed, and growled against Tohma's neck. Tohma reached for Ryuichi's hands, pulling them away from the toothed contraption, and slowly, gently, un-jammed the zipper, tugging it the rest of the way down himself. Ryuichi caught his eyes and stared, as if trying to figure out what exactly was floating through his mind. All at once, Ryuichi dove on him, crushing his lips against his in a fervor he'd not yet come to know. He nipped at his lower lip, slid his tongue against the roof of his mouth, only to bring it down once more and collide with Tohma's. In the midst of it all, they forgot to breath, and pulled apart, gasping for air, only to once again seek each other out.

Breaking their connection once more, Ryuichi grasped the bottom of his own shirt with a free hand, and pulled it over his head, sending it to join Tohma's in one fell swoop, then crashed his body against the other, grinding his hips against Tohma's, their boxers the only cloth separating them from each other, thin enough to feel one other.

Tohma cried out, gasping, raising his free leg to join the other around his hips, where Ryuichi only drew himself in even closer. Their breathing came in pants, chests slick with sweat, burning against each other.

Tohma could not fathom how he could not remember having done this once before... it was blasphemy... He groaned, his hands slipping upward to grip around wide shoulders as Ryuichi teased him through the thin shorts.

Ryuichi was lost in him, hips grinding up against him, his member hard against Tohma's thigh, and his fingers caressing the hardness that he himself had created on Tohma. Tohma arched his back against the mattress, meeting one of Ryuichi's strong thrusts. Suddenly, as if Ryuichi could take it no more, the brunette's hands were at his hips tugging at the elastic waist band, and he silently complied, lifting his hips from the sheets so that Ryuichi could free him.

Tohma could not remember Ryuichi removing his own boxers, but suddenly, there was nothing between them, and before he realized it, he was thrusting into Ryuichi's soft hand, and his mouth was captured once more. Within seconds, he could once again feel that burn in his abdomen, and he was clawing at Ryuichi's back, calling out his name, as he released into the hand pumping at him.

Tohma's back hit the sweat dampened sheets, and he stared up into Ryuichi's deep blue eyes.

"Tohma..." Ryuichi breathed, leaning down, nuzzling him in the neck.

Tohma tensed, squeezing his eyes shut. As Ryuichi sighed, and moved to pull away, seemingly thinking Tohma was done for the day, Tohma pulled him back against him tightly. Ryuichi yelped, shocked at the pull back, and fumbled to straighten himself.

"Please?"The words escaped Tohma's mouth, barely in a whisper, and Ryuichi could not help the heat that rushed to his cheeks.

"You sure?" He murmured against the blonde's throat, one hand slipping beneath a pale thigh.

A quick nod, and the other hand, still slick with Tohma's juices, slid between his legs, a single digit pressing into him. Tohma grunted, and buried his face in Ryuichi's shoulder, gasping as a second finger slowly joined the first.

"Ryu?" Tohma suddenly questioned, murmuring against Ryuichi's skin.

Ryuichi smiled against the blonde throat.

"Don't worry... you may not remember the last time, but I was gentle with you before, as I will be this time..." He chuckled as Tohma hands once again clung to his back, fearing to let go.

The fingers retreated, and Ryuichi coated himself with the remainder of the fluid, before positioning himself carefully above Tohma..

"Love you, Tohma..." He murmured, and the blonde instantly slumped against him, hands loosening their grip on his back, stomach unclenching.

Tohma's gasp was echoed by Ryuichi's own low moan, his lips trailing down Tohma's neck, hands digging into his thighs. Ryuichi pushed deeper into Tohma, until at last they were flesh against one another. Tohma's hands were back gripping at his taught shoulders, his nails leaving crescents and scrapes against his flesh. They lay still, clinging to one another. Ryuichi snuggled into Tohma's neck, allowing the blonde's muscles to slacken, and adjust to his intrusion. Tohma lay panting beneath him, and after some time, he shifted, gently grinding his hips upward. Ryuichi took that as his cue, and dug his fingers into the other man's hips... nipped at his neck... and began a slow thrust.

Ryuichi thought then and there, that nothing could be more wonderful than Tohma beneath him.. clinging to him... writhing in pleasure as he pounded into his rear, simultaneously stroking him... all the while beautiful sounds escaping his swollen lips...

He pressed in deep, and drew back, over, and over, and over again, relishing in every little detail... every little sound.

Tohma clung to his shoulders, trying to match his movements, but never quite able to keep the same pace. He whimpered and moaned with each movement, and as Ryuichi quickened the pace with both thrusts and strokes, the groans became cries. Ryuichi relished it when his name echoed through the room, occasionally followed by more, harder, faster. Towards the end, Ryuichi covered Tohma's mouth with his own, drowning out those cries, each of them groaning into each other's throats. They rocked harder and faster against each other, bodies slick with their sweat. Tohma arched against him, and he knew the blonde hadn't much longer, nor did he...

And all together, he felt Tohma clench around him just as fast as he felt his release, both throwing him over the edge himself. He cried out Tohma's name, nestling himself in the crook of his neck, the blonde himself, pressed as far into the bed as humanly possible, shuddering against him, head thrown back in a silent scream. They lay panting against one another long after they'd ended.

Ryuichi groggily lay as he had fallen, pressed tightly up against Tohma, and it was there he thought he'd drift off into sleep, skin drenched in various bodily fluids, thoughts filled with bliss. He too soon felt Tohma vibrating beneath him, and he forced his tired eyes open.

He was crying.

Dread seeped into him like water to a sponge...

Short silent sobs, eyes closed, muffled against his neck, one hand curled into his brown locks. How long had he been crying like this? Had he hurt him? Or was this again, about earlier?

Ryuichi groaned, and forced himself up on his elbow.

"Ne, Tohma...what's wrong?" He murmured against the other man's hair.

A rather large sob escaped Tohma lips, but he shook his head.

"M'fine..." He whispered. "Sleep..."

Reluctantly, his body seemed to obey Tohma, and his could feel his arm giving out below him. He dropped down, cuddling back into the crook of Tohma's neck, and felt the grip on his hair loosen, the fingers begin to comb through his hair... and then sleep was all he knew...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi woke the next morning, before the sun even rose. He slowly regained his senses, wondering why his body wished to wake so drastically early. It took him minutes with his hazy mind to realize that the mass beneath him was not covers and pillows, but flesh. At this realization, the previous night's activities slowly reformed in his mind, and a small smile graced his lips. Tohma lay asleep beneath him, breathing softly, his hair spread out across the pillows. He'd never looked more angelic...

It was sad for him to admit it, even just to himself... that he too remembered very little of their first night together, past the entryway of the apartment. He now wished that the first night could have been like it had just hours before... but what's done is done, he supposed...

Last night... hadn't been what he expected, that was for sure... He'd come home, expecting to find Tohma angry with him, only to find him not there himself. Then he'd waited patiently for him, prepared to apologize for his days deeds, only to have Tohma fall crying onto his arms. Then Tohma's lips had suddenly been on him, and he'd lost his own cool... even then, he'd figured that Tohma would just allow a couple kisses before pushing him away. Instead, he'd clung to him almost desperately, his mouth hot on him, hands clawing, and gripping, like he'd been afraid of falling... and he himself had been afraid to let him go...

With a heavy sigh, Ryuichi removed himself from the bed, and even though he'd practically flopped around like a fish to remove himself from Tohma's body, and then the bed itself, the sleeping blond did not wake.

He ran himself a bath, steaming hot, and as bubble filled as he could get it, and sunk down into the sparkling white mass in contentment. He almost drifted back to sleep in the soft warmth... He feigned sleep until the water was only luke warm, and the bubbles had nearly dissipated. By then, a soft glow was started to peak its way through the window, and Ryuichi rushed to wash his hair clean. He'd half expected Tohma to be stirring with the sun's rise, but today, not even the sun seemed able to wake him from his deep sleep.

"Sleep happy, Tohma..." he murmured, leaving the bedroom to seek silence in his own.

Ryuichi only bothered putting on a flannel pair of pajama pants before diving onto his unused bed, humming to himself.

He let Tohma sleep another hour, before the shrill sounds of the alarm clock rang through the apartment. With a small groan, Ryuichi hopped off the ruffled covers, and pattered back into Tohma's room. Again, Tohma did not stir, even with the alarm going off two feet from his head. In a panic, Ryuichi rushed over to him to make sure he was even still breathing. Seeing that his chest was still rising and falling slowly, Ryuichi turned the alarm off, and sat on the edge of the bed. He gently placed a hand on Tohma's forehead, and frowned when he felt no fever. Tohma had never slept like this.

"Well... guess we've found one thing that will knock you out..." He chuckled, beaming at the blonde.

Reluctantly, he gently shook Tohma by the shoulder in effort to stir him. His efforts only earned him a groan. Giggling, Ryuichi tickled his stomach with one hand. This sparked a far better reaction, Tohma swatting ineffectively at the hand, blinking as the sun rays reached his eyes. The blonde groaned again, turning onto his side, away from the window, and Ryuichi. This earned a huff from the brunette, and he rolled over Tohma's body, earning a grunt from him, and lay down facing him.

"Tohma... as much as I HATE to wake you when you're sleeping so nicely, you're supposed to be at work in an hour." he smiled sadly at him.

Tohma only tensed, and wrenched a blanket up over himself, covering is head.

Ryuichi frowned.

"Tohma, I know your tired... probably sore even, but you're always going on about how important it is you show up on time, and-" A hand shot out from beneath the blanket, pulling him closer.

Not nearly as fast as the hand had appeared, Tohma's head resurfaced, and he placed a quick, tender kiss on Ryuichi's lips.

"Just sleep Ryu, let it go for now..." He murmured, barely above a whisper.

Ryuichi was not one to argue, and despite confusion, he lifted the blanket, and burrowed himself beneath it, and into Tohma's arms. gently shaking my shoulder. Tohma chuckled softly

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, there you have it, chapter 19. Chapter 20 is a nice mile stone for me, lol. I'm glad to finally reach it, I will have said chapter 20 up asap. Hope to see you there!


	19. Chapter 20

Whoot! Here's the big TWENTY! Took a long time to get here, and I'm rather proud of myself… don't judge me…

The beginning of this chapter was written in presence of Anita… although not… Here we were, crammed in a tiny little practice room… Anita was practicing on the baby grand piano, as I typed my fan fics, lying underneath said piano. Soon, she got frustrated with her assigned pieces, and began breaking out into random bursts of 'Sleepless Beauty: Sacred Air Mix'. She now can't get it out of her head.

Win. For me…

So, yeah, that was inspiring :D

Unfortunately, the stupid evil computer went blah while we were out walking in the rain listening to music, and deleted the whole damn start of the chapter.

FML.

** Anita is evidently now my unofficial beta...lol... I went back over some of my older chapters, and there are numbers... inside of words... I'll try to avoid all of that in the future. My program's spell checker sucks, as does the grammar correction feature.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi lay in bed, curled up against Tohma for the better part of the day. Even now, the blonde still clung to him. Tohma had not gone into work, something that Tohma had never neglected to do in the time that he had known him, and had even argued with him on the subject, whenever Ryuichi had suggested he stay home and relax. Tohma having skipped work all together had him worried. Still, Tohma had not told him what had gone on the previous day, but Ryuichi knew by now that Tohma would only tell him once he was truly ready.

As 4pm rolled around, Tohma showed no signs of stirring, and as much as Ryuichi hated to leave him, his stomach was protesting loudly. Ryuichi hated the feeling of his stomach attempting to claw its way out of him, so the only thing he could do was eat. Regretfully, Ryuichi removed himself from Tohma's tight grip, lifting the arm from around his waist, and removing the hand entangled in his brown locks. Gently, and quietly, he slipped out of the warm covers, shivering as the evening air hit him, and padded out of the room.

He left the door wide open as he made his way into the kitchen. He figured that he'd make something fast, and filling, and then he could return to the cocoon of blankets, and the warm arms of Tohma. He settled on a sandwich, and quickly slapped some bread down on the counter. As he reached for the various lunch meats, a loud booming began at the door.

In the panic of the arrival of this mystery guest, Ryuichi bumped into the counter, knocking over a plate as he raced to the door. As he reached for the brass knob, he heard the plate hit the ground and shatter, wincing at the loud crash it made.

He prayed that it hadn't woken Tohma…

He slowly opened the door, only to have it slam into him as Noriko plowed her way into the living room, already shouting the moment she set foot past the threshold.

"You would NOT believe the long day I had!" She groaned, tossing her bag across the room.

It hit the wall with a loud thud, and Ryuichi grimaced.

"Noriko, what are you doing here?" He whined, stepping in front of her before she could go any farther into the house.

She glared at him, and moved to shove him aside, but Ryuichi held his ground.

"Look, we have PRACTICE today. I don't expect you to remember things all the time, just don't spazz out on me because I've arrived, ON TIME." She growled.

Still, Ryuichi didn't let her pass, and she seemed ready to pop him upside the head.

"Noriko?" He asked; face clearly showing that he was NOT joking around. "Could you please leave? We can, I don't know, do practice tomorrow? This isn't really a good time right-"

She slapped him, causing him to step back as he stared at her in shock.

"I don't care if this is your little LOVE nest, Ryuichi, just because you two decided to fuck around, doesn't mean I'm canceling practice because YOU find it inconvenient that I've interrupted!" She spat.

And suddenly, Noriko found herself slammed against the door, with Ryuichi pinning her there. The brunette no longer looked friendly, and she could tell that he was holding himself back. For once, Ryuichi was scaring her.

"Ryu-ichi?" She whimpered, struggling to get out of his grasp.

He only held on tighter, and his eyes narrowed down to slits.

"I WOULDN'T kick you out UNLESS I had a damned good reason to do so!" He snarled, tightening his grip on her arms. "Tohma's not feeling right, and he scared the piss out of me last night, coming through the door all upset!" His breathing quickened and she could see that he was attempting to not lose his cool on her.

Noriko only starred wide eyed.

Ryuichi seemed like a completely different person quite suddenly, at least when comparing to the Ryuichi she had seen during other practice days. She could almost compare him to someone half his real age... always clinging on Tohma, wearing his emotions on his sleeve. He even took her insults way too seriously, resulting in a river of tears Tohma could not ignore.

This Ryuichi before her was not only NOT a childish, whiny, brat, but a serious, concerned, somewhat terrifying man...

"Tohma…was upset?" She murmured.

Upon seeing Noriko's face slip into panic, Ryuichi loosened his grip on her. As she seemed to realize he was not in the mood to fuck around, he no longer saw a reason to be rough with her.

"Yes… he was crying and everything, and he still hasn't told me what the hell happened. I've been antsy all day, but I'm letting him tell me when he's ready… He didn't even go to work, and has been in bed all day sleeping. It's like he finally crashed and burned. I'll be shocked if I can get him up long enough to eat something later." Ryuichi released a deep breath slowly, willing himself to calm down, back to his normal relaxed state.

Noriko's eyes grew wide.

"Something happened. Something with his father! That's the only logical explanation for him to ditch work... Must have been something about the band again..." she murmured, now staring at the floor.

Ryuichi released her, and hung his arms at his side.

"It... couldn't be about me, right?"

As much as Noriko wanted to say yes, she couldn't. The look in the brunette's eyes was heart breaking... even if she didn't like him.

"No... There's no way he could have caught on to anything between you two... Seguchi-san is not the most observational man, and he doesn't exactly keep track of Tohma as much as one would think. He's a busy man, and not exactly the best family man either. He's one hell of a business man thought, that's for sure. Tohma can get like that on occasion too. Happens with that kind of family. No, I'm pretty sure this was strictly about the band, maybe even Mika... but definitely the band..." She groaned.

A jolt of panic crawled up Ryuichi's chest.

Did the man demand that Tohma quite the band? Where would that leave Noriko? Where would that leave him? He was only just getting used to this set up. He was enjoying the music. If Tohma gave up the band, what would he do with himself? Moping around Tohma's house, out of school, jobless... it just didn't sit right with him...

"What should...what should we do, Noriko?" He murmured, locking eyes with her.

Despite her dislike for the man, now was not the time to get into a row with him. Serious conversation called for a civil Tokai, Noriko.

"I guess I'll be leaving... let me know what's going on; when he gets around to telling..." she sighed. " If Tohma's moping, me going in to whip his ass into gear might make things worse, so it's up to you to get his mind straight. Be easy on him." She seemed to wince before pushing past him and walking across the room.

He almost questioned what she was up to, until she grabbed a hold of her discarded bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Walking past him, she placed a hand in his shoulder, squeezed it gently, and then silently stepped out the door.

Ryuichi gave a weak smile as the door closed behind her.

That had been... interesting, to say the least.

Perhaps... one day, he and Noriko would get along?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Upon Returning to the room, forgetting the sandwich temporarily, Ryuichi was sad to find that Tohma had indeed woken up with all the loud noises and yelling.

He blinked lazily at the brunette, running a hand through his wild hair. Tohma did NOT look like his normal graceful self, but was at the very least, looking well rested.

"What was all of that?" He mumbled, fighting back a yawn as he rubbed his eyes as well.

Ryuichi couldn't help but smile.

"Noriko. Should have expected as much with the way it sounded as though someone was trying to kick the door in. We evidently had practice today, you have seemingly neglected to remember this, to tell me yourself." he smirked at the blonde as he fought back a groan of realization. "But, I cancelled. She wasn't all too thrilled with me about that, and shot plenty of accusations my way before I shut her up." Ryuichi rolled his eyes, and perched himself on the foot of the bed.

Tohma, after receiving this bit of information, seemed to wake up... rather fast.

"What happened?" He stared wide eyed.

Ryuichi only sighed, and batted his hand in the air.

"I just told her that you weren't up to playing today and that you were gonna stay in bed with me as your nurse maid. Not in those words of course, but she got the idea." He smirked at the blonde.

Tohma groaned, and covered his head with the blankets.

"Why do you feed her fire?" his exasperated voice was muffled by the thick comforter.

Ryuichi cocked his head, and peered under the blanket, smiling at the blonde.

"Because, it's just how we are." He grinned, yanking the covers roughly off of the bed.

With a squeak, Tohma wrapped his arms around his knees in effort to protect his nude body from the sudden gust of cold air.

"R-Ryuichi!" he whined, groping over the side of the bed for the covers.

Alas, Ryuichi had good aim, and they were far out of reach.

The brunette leapt off the bed, spinning around, motioning for Tohma to rise and follow him.

"Ryuichi... I'm in no mood today..." he groaned. "I just want to lie here, and not move." He whined, sending a pitiful attempt of a glare at the other man.

Ryuichi only brushed him off.

"You need to eat, Tohma. Come make food with me!" He laughed, reaching an arm out.

Tohma eyed him cautiously, and with a tired sigh, he reach out, taking a hold of Ryuichi's outstretched hand. He moved slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The cool temperatures of the room caused him to shiver, and he could feel the tiny bumps rising all over his body.

"I'm cold..." he grumbled, letting his feet touch the floor.

"Well, then we'll make something warm to eat, 'kay?" Ryuichi chuckled.

Tohma gazed up into his eyes, and smiled.

"Sure." With that, he pushed himself off the bed... and fell straight into Ryuichi's arms, where the man embraced him tightly.

Ryuichi flew into a fit of hysterics.

"T-Tohma!" He giggled, supporting the blonde from around the waist. "I guess your body doesn't want to cooperate, ne?"

Tohma clung to Ryuichi. Not only was most of his body sore from moving around, in different ways than usual, he'd become dizzy, and his legs were partially numb.

"No, no it does not..." he sighed, testing his feet once more.

Some feeling was beginning to return...

"Not a problem!" Ryuichi chuckled, shifting his arms.

"Ryu, what are you-!" Tohma let out a rather feminine squeal as Ryuichi lifted him up into his arms awkwardly, and began to walk from the room.

"RYUICHI!" He screamed, thrashing. "What on Earth are you doing!" he clawed at the brunette's neck, but Ryuichi would not speak, nor stop his walking.

In seconds, they were in the bathroom, and Ryuichi was depositing him in the large empty tub.

The tub was FREEZING!

He smacked at Ryuichi's arms, and shifted his legs around, willing the feeling back as quickly as possible. Before he could verbally protest his current situation, Ryuichi had turned on the water, and was adjusting the temperature.

Satisfied with himself, he plugged the tub up, and watched the water slowly sneak up to Tohma.

"Ryuichi, I was under the impression that we were getting food, not bathing..." He grumbled, shivering as the warmth slowly spread across his body.

Ryuichi only smiled lovingly.

"Yes, but that was before I picked you up. See... your hair looks like you stuck a finger in an electrical socket, and unlike myself, you are still covered in muck and stale sweat. I'll make food, you get clean, alright?"

Tohma's cheeks flamed, for Ryuichi was indeed correct. Now he didn't want to think about it, and began to scrub at himself, earning an amused chuckle from Ryuichi.

"See you in a few, Tohma."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi had immediately gone to making some dinner. It wasn't much, he could admit it... He'd never been the greatest cook, so he kept things simple enough. Ramen wasn't the best thing he could have made, but it was fast, and had the much needed warmth that Tohma really seemed to need.

While it was cooking, he was happy to hear the water turn off at last, and Tohma give a deep content sigh afterwards. Lying in a bed for so long was bound to have its muscular side effects, so the hot water was likely very soothing.

Once cooked, Ryuichi happily made two large bowls up, tossing a set of chopsticks and a soup spoon in each, before heading straight back into the bathroom.

Tohma glanced up at him upon his return, and shot him an odd look.

"Ryuichi...I'm still in the tub."

The brunette only grinned.

"I know that. Silly Tohma..." He rolled his eyes, setting the bowls on the sink.

Tohma's look did not fade.

"You should have left it in the pot; I might be in here for a bit, it will get cold sitting in here." He sighed, reaching for a sponge.

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow to him.

"It's not gonna get cold Tohma, trust me." he giggled.

Before Tohma could comment, Ryuichi's shirt skidded across the floor. Seconds after, his jeans were down around his ankles, and he was stepping out of them.

Evidently He'd not felt much like wearing under garments today...

Tohma blushed

"Ryuichi..." Tohma began a very much confused look on his face "what on earth are you doing?"

Ryuichi grinned, and grabbed the bowls again, placing one on the edge of the tub by Tohma.

"You might want to hold onto that, just in case..." He laughed.

Tohma eyes bulged, and clamped both hands onto the bowl as Ryuichi jumped into the tub at his feet, entangling their legs, ramen bowl in hand.

Tohma paled, and stared blinking at the man. Ryuichi could only laugh at Tohma's face, and had to focus on not spilling the broth as he shook with his giggles.

"Oh, the look on your face Tohma...it's priceless!"

"Ryuichi...you're not supposed to EAT in a tub... it's...its unsanitary." he groaned, staring down at the food.

Ryuichi tsked and scooped a mass of noodles into his mouth, swallowing quickly.

"Honestly Tohma, live a little. It's just a little water." He smirked, splashing a bit of said water as Tohma, who only moved the bowl to protect it from his attack.

"Ryu, I'm not comfortable with this..." His eyes narrowed at the singer.

He rolled his eyes again.

"It's called MULTI-TASKING. Learn to try it. You might have fun."

Tohma again, didn't seem so sure.

Ryuichi let out an exasperated sigh, and leaned forward, grabbing some of Tohma's noodles.

"Open wide Tohma! You ARE going to eat, even if I'm forced to give it to you mouth to mouth. As much as I'd LOVE for you to resist me, I'd prefer we do this the easy way." he frowned. "After all, I'd likely get carried away, and thoughts of eating would go out the door..."

At this, Tohma actually started to laugh.

"I'm sure you would." He smiled, and opened his mouth wide, allowing Ryuichi to shove the noodles into his mouth.

After this, obediently, Tohma ate his ramen happily, and Ryuichi shoveled his own bowl down within seconds.

"So yummy! You agree Tohma?" Ryuichi asked, stretching back against the tub.

Tohma only smiled.

"Yeah..."

And then came the long pregnant pause of awkwardness...

Tohma sighed.

"I got called into work after class... I was pissed."

Ryuichi blinked, and shifted his full attention onto Tohma.

"That's why you weren't home? Not that I was bugged or anything... like I said, you got home not too long after I did. I have actually been worried that I was going to walk in the door and you'd be pissed with me for having gotten home so late." Ryuichi blushed.

"Yes. I was at work. Not only was I called in right after class- by the way, I was thrown out of class, due to falling asleep... so I'd already been having a bad day. But yes, not only was I called in, my father expected me to do the jobs of other people, just because they were on sick leave. These were things I don't normally do, to be specific. He just assumes that I'll do them because I KNOW how to do them..." He slumped against the tub, and ran a hand through his damp hair. "It was a very stressful situation, and I may have gotten carried away, and started ranting about my concerns and dislikes. With my co-workers there. They of course ratted me out, which led to me being called up to my father's office."

Ryuichi looked pouty, and Tohma managed a weak smile.

"He was all mean, wasn't he? I told you Tohma, I don't like him." He glared, crossing his arms.

Tohma chuckled.

"Yes... he was rather blunt, to say the least..." He grumbled. "We got into it over my working hours, combined with my class hours, and me trying to manage the band while still getting a decent amount of sleep. His idea of a solution was to tell me to stop with this 'band nonsense', as if I would comply with his wishes...if I've not done so by this point, he should get it through his thick head that- eh?" Tohma paused, eyes growing wide as Ryuichi slipped into his lap.

His face burned, and he opened his mouth to complain, only to have Ryuichi place a finger against his lips.

"No kinky crap, washing hair..." He laughed, popping the cap on the shampoo open, and squirted some into his hand.

"Why am I not convinced?"

Ryuichi smirked.

"Oh, I don't know... but, if that is what you would prefer, I COULD very well put my hands to use elsewhere..."

With that, Tohma slapped his shoulder, and Ryuichi laughed, running his shampoo coated hands through the blonde's hair.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Whoo! It's done!

This chapter actually almost ended up 20pgs long... So I split it into two, to keep up with my typical pg count.

What does this mean?

Chapter 21 will not take too long to be posted. Good for you, and awesome for me. Gives me time to start 22...lol


	20. Chapter 21

Here is your 21! Took forever to write!

Ended up starting a ton of new fics while writers block was eating at me on this one.

*Note: Anita ended up having to help me... I got mostly done, and then couldn't finish it off...

Thank her by reading some of her fics! *wink*

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After eating their ramen, bathing, and having a detailed discussion about Tohma's moping, the two had slipped into pajamas, and changed the sheets on the bed. Afterwards, they'd laid back down to watch a movie. Much to Ryuichi's shock, Tohma fell asleep again, leaving Ryuichi to finish the movie himself, while having the blonde wrapped around him.

He couldn't complain, Tohma had really been putting in too much effort into his everyday life. It was no surprise that his body was exhausted. It was just somewhat unnerving to see the man sleep so very much in such a short amount of time.

After a while, unable to sleep again himself, he turned the television to watch something else, volume turned low so as to not wake the sleeping Tohma.

It was still rather early in the evening, and he knew that at some point he'd have to leave the bed again and move around again, or face muscle discomfort himself. As is, he was already suffering from extreme boredom. But it was all worth it, for Tohma.

Half way into the second movie, the phone rang, startling Ryuichi as he lay there with Tohma in his arms. The blonde, woken by those noise, simply just mumbled about letting it ring, but Ryuichi was never one to ignore a phone call, and despite Tohma's protests, he rolled out of bed, and crawled towards Tohma's coat, discarded the other day upon the floor, yanking the cell phone free from a deep pocket.

Tohma watched him with half lidded eyes as he flipped the phone open, answering it happily.

"Moshi-Moshi!" He chirped joyfully.

Tohma just groaned, and pulled the covers over his head.

Ryuichi on the other hand blinked, and sat cross-legged on the floor, happily introducing himself.

"Hmm? Oh yes, Tohma's here. Yes, he's alright…he'd make me happy if he'd eat some more, but he's all sulking in his bed at the moment. Oh, yes, I'm Ryuichi, I'm Toh-kun's new roommate, and bestest friend. Yes, he's treating me nicely!" he giggled.

This odd conversation caused Tohma to yank his covers back off of his head and stare at the brunette.

Who on earth was he speaking with?

"Yeah… he seemed pretty sad about the whole mess, but I cheered him up. How? I gave him a hug of course! And then I made him dinner once his stomach wasn't bugging him."

Tohma's eye twitched.

"You want to talk to him? Okies… I'll try, I'm not sure if he wants to talk to anyone on the outside world right now, but he must LOVE you! You're soooo nice!" He grinned, jumping up off the floor.

Tohma paled as Ryuichi dove on him.

"Ryuichi!" He squeaked, attempting to shove the brunette off his chest. "who are you talking to?" he whined, clearly displeased with being kept from his sleep with all the talking.

Evidently Tohma was attempting to make up for all the sleep he missed in the last few months….by sleeping through those missed hours, straight through…

"Tohma, it's your Mumsy!" He grinned, holding the phone out to the blonde.

Tohma's eyes widened, and he snatched the phone from him immediately.

"_Bonjour, Maman_..." He murmured into the phone, motioning for Ryuichi to turn on the light.

The brunette eyed him oddly at first, then slowly flicked the light on, causing both of them to be temporarily blinded.

Ryuichi flopped onto the bed, and watched Tohma, still half asleep, talk to his mother. She had seemed like a nice enough woman, truly concerned about Tohma. She had a heavy accent he couldn't quite place, and Tohma's odd language switch only confirmed his suspicions that she was foreign. She seemed to be the best thing for Tohma at the moment, as the blonde was now sitting upright in the bed for the first time in more than 24 hours, other than their bath time of course.

They talked for over half an hour, and he listened patiently to the half of the conversation he could hear.

"Yes Ma'am." and "No Ma'am."

"I'm fine, honest!"

And, "He HATES me!" were repeated well into the multiples.

Ryuichi fought the urge to giggle. At times, Tohma really could sound like a teenage girl. It had to be years of hanging out with Noriko.

Ryuichi watched as the two babbled on about nothing in particular afterwards. Another half hour had gone by without realizing it, and he was happy that Tohma was finally seeming to be more alert.

Much more of being restricted to the bed, and cuddling Tohma, and he was going to lose it... not that he minded the cuddling, or being with Tohma, he was just not used to laying still for so long, and not leaving the house.

"Really? You are?" Left Tohma's mouth in a gasp, and Ryuichi gazed at him intently.

"That's- well that's fantastic! Of course I will! When and where?" The blonde grinned.

Ryuichi was happy for him. He'd never really had much parental sympathy, not since his mother had gone away at least, but it was nice to see just what a good parent could do to take away the angst in their child. Tohma seemed almost back to his old self while talking to his mother.

"Sure thing. I'll see you first thing in the morning, I promise!" A warm smile graced Tohma's face, and Ryuichi had to fight the urge to tackle him.

Must... wait... until...call ends...

He squirmed where he sat.

"Yes, yes...I will... _Je t'iame aussi_." he sighed, and ended the call.

He gave Ryuichi a curious look, as the brunette stared at him.

"Ryu- oomph!" Tohma nearly saw stars as Ryuichi collided with his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist.

Ryuichi cuddled against him, and settled in th crook of his neck as they sat there in momentary silence. Tohma only sighed, and let himself cling to Ryuichi's back, balling his t-shirt into his fists.

"Sudden burst of affection, Ryu?" he laughed lightly.

Yes, it seemed as though Tohma's depression was indeed cured.

"Uh, huh... hate seeing you mopey..." his voice muffled in Tohma's neck and Tohma fought back a giggle as his breath tickled at his throat.

They sat silently with one another, still holding each other.

"Tohma?" He questioned, after a few minutes, gripping Tohma's back, ever trying to pull him closer.

"Hmm?"

"Love you..." he murmured into the blondes ear.

Tohma sighed, staring at the ceiling, before burying his own face against Ryuichi's form.

"I know..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Tohma's alarm sounded at 7am, startling Ryuichi, as the brunette had gotten used to waking up without assistance. For the first time in days, Tohma awoke when told, and he watched as the blonde stumbled into the bathroom for a shower. Ryuichi grinned, and contemplated hijacking said shower. In the end, he decided against it, as he wanted to make damn sure Tohma got to his destination without issue. Molesting the blonde under a hot stream of water would most definitely make him late, if not miss the date with his mother all together.

As they'd taken a dinner bath the previous night, Ryuichi was content with leaving it at that, and dove into his own room to get dressed. By the time he had returned, Tohma was standing in the far corner of the room, hair dripping, with a plush white towel wrapped around his waist. He rummaged through the large closet, returning with the clothes he'd chosen to wear.

Before changing, he glanced up at Ryuichi, observing his current attire, and let his eyes narrow.

"Ryuichi..." he warned. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ryuichi blushed, and ran a hand through the back of his hair.

"Oh nothing Tohma, nothing at all..." He laughed nervously, swinging his foot back and forth across the hard wood floor.

Tohma sighed, and removed the hangers from his clothes.

"You're not coming with, I hope you know that..."

Ryuichi grinned.

"I know. What makes you think I thought I was?" He murmured, nearly purring at Tohma as the blonde turned around, dropping the towel to pull his boxers on.

"Because, I've never seen you dressed like that...something has to be up..." He grumbled, now tugging his slacks on.

Ryuichi giggled and moved closer to the blonde.

"Maybe I was feeling left out, knowing you and all your sexiness were going to be all dressed up, ne?" He wagged his eyebrows as the blonde turned to glare at him.

To be honest, he wasn't THAT different looking... he wore a pair of non-baggy, yet non-clinging black jeans, a red tank, and a black dress shirt over it all. He COULD have really outdone himself if he'd have tried... he'd bought the perfect fancy outfit days ago...

"You're not coming with me." He just repeated, slipping the shirt over his shoulders.

Ryuichi smirked.

"And as I said before, I never said I was."

Tohma shot him a confused look, and then rapidly buttoned up the shirt.

"You confuse me, you know that?" He whined. "Honestly then, where are you going?"

Ryuichi rolled his eyes, and hopped onto the bed, making Kumagoru dance on his chest.

"I'm going to see a friend today, yup, uh huh." He smiled, and had the bunny wave at Tohma.

Tohma nodded awkwardly.

Was it so bad to have assumed that Ryuichi had no other friends? After all, They'd been together for quite some time now, and not once had he heard the brunette mention anyone else...

"Well, if that's all you were planning, I hope you have fun. You just... surprised me, that's all. I've not seen you talk to anyone. Have you spoken to them recently?"

Ryuichi sat back up and smiled.

"Yup, talked to them yesterday."

Tohma blinked.

"Oh. Must have been while I was asleep...sorry about that..." His cheeks flushed, and he adjusted his collar in the mirror.

"Kuma says that Tohma should wear the cream and black marbleized vest with his sexy black slacks and cream dress shirt."

Tohma paused, and spun around to face the brunette.

"_Who_ says what?" He eyed him hesitantly.

"You heard me Tohma, I'm not repeating." He scoffed.

Tohma slumped against the dresser, squeezing the bridge of his own. He sighed, and figured it was best to humor him.

"Which vest were we talking about?" he asked, flicking through hanger after hanger in the closet. "I recall no such vest. I know my clothes..." He frowned, speeding up his search.

Ryuichi sighed, and hopped off the bed, leaving Kuma to his own devices back on the pillows. He crouched down low to the floor on the left side of the closet, and returned with a small box.

"You don't recall said vest, likely because it's still in its gift box..." he snickered.

Tohma's face burned, and he cleared his throat.

"Things... happen..." he grumbled, pulling the vest out of the tissue paper, and examining it. "How did you know I had this, when even I myself did not?" He tilted his head.

Ryuichi smiled.

"I get bored."

"So you raid my wardrobe?" Tohma raised an eyebrow.

"Of course."

Tohma took in a deep breath, and released it slowly.

"Fine. You win." he huffed, slinging the vest over his back, buttoning it at once.

Ryuichi giggled.

"Kuma has good taste." He snickered.

Tohma laughed.

"It's only because he's been taught well."

Great... now even he was pretending the bunny had a conscience...

"So Tohma, where are YOU going ?" The brunette asked, flopping back down on the sheets.

"I'm going out to a café with my mother. We'll perhaps eat a quick breakfast even. She's rarely in town, and is even seldom in this country. My father works so often, and such off the wall hours that she practically still lives with my grandparents. She finds home rather empty and museum like. I do as well, hence why I left." Tohma left the bedroom, Ryuichi at his heels.

The blonde opened the coat closet doors and frowned at the contents, contemplating his next move. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he pulled out a thick, floor length trench style coat. Ryuichi shot him an odd look.

"It looks cold out..." He grumbled, eyeing to dark clouds outside the window. "Did you know it's supposed to snow next week?" He groaned, slipping the coat on, walking back into the bedroom, to switch coats with his belongings.

"Yeah! Can you believe that it's almost December?" Ryuichi grinned, draping an arm around Tohma's waist. "Think this will be the best Christmas in a LONG time!" he laughed, muzzling the blonde's neck. "I've had some shitty ones the last few years."

Tohma flushed, and chuckled.

"Well, then I'll make sure to make extra special, hmm?"

Ryuichi beamed.

"Well, I'm off..."Tohma trailed off as Ryuichi tagged along behind him as he made his way back to their front door. " Please behave yourself while I'm gone... have fun with your friend, and please, PLEASE don't get lost." He pled, pulling a post-it note off of the counter.

He scribbled on it quickly, and pressed it against Ryuichi's chest, onto the shirt pocket.

"This is the number to the cell. Keep it safe, and use it if you need me. IF lost, find out what cross streets you're on prior to calling so I know where to grab you. Once making said call, do not move from that street corner." His eyes narrowed as Ryuichi gave a nervous grin. "I'm not sure where exactly you'd find a phone, but attempt to locate one if need be, This thought process has made me realize the importance of getting you your own cell phone..." he mumbled, pulling open the door.

"Have a nice time Tohma, see you later." Ryuichi purred, yanking Tohma back into the doorway for a brief, gentle kiss, before shoving he blonde out into the halls

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ryuichi waited all of 30 seconds after pushing Tohma out the door before grabbing a coat for himself from the closet near the door, praying that Tohma did not plan on taking the car otherwise his plan would not succeed. He took the stairs down rather than the elevator, leaping over banisters as he went, and taking multiple stairs at a time, hoping to catch Tohma just barely leaving the building.

He was in luck. Instead of heading to the parking garage, Tohma slipped out of the building, and went on his way down the street. Joyfully, Ryuichi followed, careful to stay at least half a block down, and mostly out of sight. Tohma rounded a corner, and headed down another street, Ryuichi still hot on his trail.

After 3 long blocks, Tohma came upon a small building, before pulling out his phone. Ryuichi moved in quickly, hoping to catch some of the conversation as he hid behind a bush.

"You've already arrived? That's fine, I'll see you in just a moment." He watched Tohma smile, before pulling the door open and stepping inside.

He waited a few moments, allowing Tohma plenty of time to get distracted, before slipping into the café himself. A tall blonde woman had greeted Tohma with wide open arms and a cheery smile. He walked around the two, careful to slip past through the other side of the room's row of booths. He settled himself in, sitting at the last booth in Tohma's row, thankful that the tops of the seats came up well over the top of your head, for privacy. He peaked around the side of the booth watching them closely. Tohma was all smiles, so he suspected that there would be no trouble during this meeting.

Upon further observation, This woman looked a good deal similar to Tohma himself. Her hair was blonde, long, and wavy, with a straight across fringe. Her blue eyes were large and round, but were far lighter than Tohma's.

They sat at a middle booth, one across from the other, and Tohma beamed at the woman. Ryuichi continued to hide in his own booth.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tohma!" The blonde woman exclaimed hugging the boy. "_Mon garcon_! How are you?"

"I'm fine, honest." The blonde answered. They stepped inside the crowded café and took a seat at an empty table.

"Welcome to La Patite Café, I am Miko, and I'll be your waitress this morning." The girl smiled brightly at them.

"Good morning Miko-san." Tohma smiled up at the girl. "I'll have a chai, please. Mother?" He looked to the woman seated across from him.

"Cappuccino." The woman smiled.

"Coming right up." Miko turned and left the table.

"How are you?" Tohma looked to his mother with a smile.

"I am fine, dear, thank you for asking. Yes I am a bit chilled as of late, but it is nothing to worry about." Miko had returned with the drinks and set them down in front the two before walking away once more.

The blonde took a sip of her drink, smiling as the heat warmed her up.

"How are your studies?" She asked Tohma, resting her chin on a hand.

"Well, I'll have some work to make up... I haven't been right for most of the week. But other than that, they're going rather well. I'll still be acing the classes once I've fixed my recent mishaps..." He frowned. "Chilled?"

She batted a hand at him.

"I've been spending too much time with my own _Maman_, I'm adjusting to the temperature there, it seems much colder here in Japan."

Tohma chuckled.

"Well, that sounds about right. We're starting to get rather cold now this time of year. It's supposed to snow soon."

Along silence followed this, and Tohma knew what was coming.

"Your Father means well, Tohma." she murmured, clasping her hands around his. "He is just worried that Mika-san will move on if you let her be too long. He does not want you to have a hard time when you finally choose to settle down."

Tohma sighed.

"I'm not as worried about the marriage situation as much as I am with this company business." he grumbled, putting his face in his hands. "I have no desire to take over his company. I put up with it to humor him, and keep him happy. But I have no intentions of dismantling the band. If we never make it big, then so be it, but I will not give it up."

The blonde woman smiled.

"Just keep on saying that, and truly never let it go, and he will not make you. He respects dedication. He will learn to accept that your heart truly lies in music. Perhaps you'll be well known? Then he cannot deny that you chose the right path. Perhaps you will get lucky, and my little Daisuke would prefer to take over for your father, and then everyone could be happy, no?"

Tohma sighed, and smiled warmly at the woman.

"This is true... he could possibly desire that which I do not, and follow in Father's footsteps in my place. That could work to my advantage. Still, the boy has a long way to go." Tohma slumped back into the booth, swigging at his steaming chai tea.

And then, he froze.

At the end of the restaurant, he locked startled eyes with a certain brunette, causing the man to dive out of sight, falling under the table with a loud crash. Several other customers looked around in alarm. Tohma winced, and the woman stood to see what had happened.

"Ryuichi?" Tohma called out in confusion.

Ryuichi then reluctantly crawled out from beneath the table, having been caught, grinning sheepishly at the two. Tohma's eyes bulged as the brunette then bounced over to them.

Tohma pled, with his eyes, for Ryuichi to just head on home, but either he didn't get the message, or he flat out chose to ignore it.

The woman smiled at him, and reached out her small hand.

"Seguchi, Elena." She beamed.

Ryuichi grinned, taking her hand in his own.

"Sakuma, Ryuichi." He murmured, shaking her hand.

Tohma glared, and Ryuichi was sure he'd get another lecture on name fibbing again.

"You must be the young man I spoke to on the phone earlier this morning, am I correct?" Ryuichi nodded, and Elena clasped her hands together happily. " That's wonderful! How sweet of you to look after my Tohma, following him to make sure everything was alright!"

Ryuichi decided at once that he absolutely loved this woman.

"Yup! I wanted to see Toh-kun's Mumsy for myself, as Seguchi-san sounds too cranky to meet. You seemed so nice on the phone, I wanted to put a face to your voice!" he grinned, bumping Tohma back into the booth, sitting down next to him.

Tohma seemed rather stressed at his decision to join them, but Ryuichi just brushed it off. He'd be carefully of what he said, no worries about that...

"Tohma, you moved in with such a sweet young man!" She cooed, smiling up at Ryuichi.

Tohma just chugged his tea, praying it would all be over soon...

"I can see where Tohma gets his good looks from." Ryuichi smiled, wagging his eyebrows at the woman.

Tohma became white.

"Oh heavens no!" The woman burst into a fit of hysterics. " I appreciate the compliment, but no dear, he does not get it from me." She laughed, taking another drink of her cappuccino.

Ryuichi only tilted his head at her in confusion.

"I'm flattered, really. It's nice to know Tohma's so very fond of me that he'd not tell you otherwise. I am his step mother. We are not related. Although, I admit, I'm the closest thing he's had to a mother for many years. I've been told our resemblance is startling several times by other family that knows." She smiled at Ryuichi pleasantly.

Tohma still looked ill.

"Well Mrs. Seguchi, regardless, your husband's a lucky man, even if he's an ass." Ryuichi smirked leaning back into the booth.

She blushed and batted a hand at him.

"Oh, stop!" She huffed. "Please, call me Elena, Ryuichi-san."

"Alright, Elena-chan."

Tohma groaned.

She beamed at him, and took a glance around the café, settling her eyes on a door.

"Please excuse me Tohma, Ryuichi. " She rose, bowing politely. "I'm in need of a quick washroom break."

She stepped away from the table, and stopped briefly as she passed the waitress.

"Could you please get that young man something to drink? We'll order some food when I return. He arrived a little later than us."

"Yes, I'll get right on I!" The waitress, Miko, smiled, and headed back to the counter to put an order through.

Tohma watched carefully until his mother completely disappeared behind the washroom door, and then glared at Ryuichi.

"You're flirting with my MOTHER!" he gasped, face red as a tomato as he whapped Ryuichi on the shoulder

"Well, she's a beautiful woman." Ryuichi reasoned, laughing as he sit smugly beside the blonde.

"You're dating me! It's disturbing!" he moaned, running a hand through his hair.

Ryuichi only rolled his eyes, crossing his legs.

"Well, at least she'd never suspect that I'm really gay, and banging you at night, correct?" he smirked.

Tohma just slammed his head on the counter.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

lol...There we go, chapter 21.

The chapter was quite long compared to some of my past ones.

I hope to have 22 up within the next week, the story should start moving along a tad faster now.


	21. Chapter 22

22, yay!

Seriously, this fic can drag on sometimes while writing it. Sometimes I just pray certain scenes will wrap themselves up quickly as I find no thrill in writing them. Thankfully, we're getting to plot I'm more into, so I can enjoy myself again, lol.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy it all, even if I'm less thrilled with writing certain bits.

Still loving my regular readers, and starting to love some new ones!

I'm staying at Anita's again, yay!

She was an idiot though, she reviewed one of my fics without logging out of my account, so it made it look like I reviewed one of my own fics… -.-'

I apologize for this chapter being slightly choppy, if it seems that way… I had a headache while writing most of it, and couldn't keep my mind entirely focused. Sorry!

Oh and, I guess it's happy birthday to Tohma, huh?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Really? Are you serious Ryu? Must you put on such a show? I think I may have nightmares now..." Tohma groaned, head still firmly planted on the table.

Ryuichi snickered and shook his head.

"Honestly Tohma, it was just a little harmless flirting, don't be so serious about it. It's not like I fancy her or anything, I'd much rather be draped all over you." He pouted, crossing his arms.

Tohma sighed and nodded.

"At least I know that much is true... and, well... thank you for not doing so. Although I'm sure she'd be far more accepting of it than my father, I'd rather not open up that can of worms, you know? Thanks for respecting that." His shoulders slackened, and he pushed himself back up on his elbows.

"What would you like to drink sir?" The waitress, Miko asked, finally returning.

Ryuichi glanced up at her and smiled.

"Not all too sure really, I've never been here before. Tohma must have though... what's good here, eh?" He asked, poking the blonde.

Tohma stared at the table for a moment, head tilted to the side, pondering on what Ryuichi would likely be alright with drinking.

"I'd say... give him a medium strawberries and cream smoothie. He doesn't seem like the coffee type." Tohma laughed.

Ryuichi agreed, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"Yup, definitely no coffee, eww..."

Miko laughed, and bowed politely before dashing off to fulfill the order. Nearly as soon as the waitress had disappeared, Elena returned, and smiled warmly as she sat back across from the two men.

"Hope I wasn't too long?" she asked, blushing as she looked up at them.

"Oh, not at all ma'am." Ryuichi beamed, and Tohma suddenly felt that wave of embarrassment returning.

A well-aimed kick to the shins reminded Ryuichi to behave, for the sake of Tohma's stomach.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It was wonderful getting a chance to visit you, Tohma." Elena beamed at her son, wrapping one arm around him as the three of them exited the café. "I'll try and visit again soon, and please, try and make peace with your father…" She gave a small smile, and leaned forward, giving the blonde a peck on the cheek.

Tohma sighed, but returned her smile.

"I shall…attempt it…" He murmured, although the woman still sent a pout his way.

"And YOU Ryu-kun, take care of my son! He has a tendency to work himself into the ground, and even forget to sleep…" She murmured, shooting the blonde a sharp gaze.

Ryuichi grinned, and threw his own arm around the blonde's shoulder on his unoccupied side.

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, I'll keep him in line, and well rested ma' am." He chanced a quick smirk at Tohma, who flushed crimson under his gaze.

Elena gave both boys a tight squeeze, before spinning around and walking towards her car.

"Be good! BOTH of you! Je t'ame, Tohma!" She giggled, slipping into the driver's seat.

Both men watched as the woman pulled out of her parking space, and slid out onto the street.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Why did you follow me? Even though I specifically said I didn't want you to come?" Tohma groaned.

Ryuichi rolled his eyes, and just kept on walking beside the blonde.

"Because, you said I couldn't go WITH you... not that you didn't want me there. You should be more specific, without sounding mean and rude though." He huffed. "What's the big deal? I just wanted to meet your nice sounding mother in person. I gave nothing away, not that I entirely like being all secretive, but I can deal..." He mumbled.

Tohma gave the brunette a strained look.

"I'm sorry..." Tohma sighed. "I suppose I'm being a bit neurotic, aren't I? It's been a stressful week; I don't mean to take it out on you.

Ryuichi eyed the blonde closely.

"You're hard to read Tohma, very hard to read..."

"What do you mean?" Tohma froze, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

Ryuichi paused as well, and turned to face the blonde.

"One moment, you're embarrassed to death when I so much as touch you, and the next moment, you're all over me. You go from being silent and mopey to being as happy and perky as a teenage girl... You can't sleep, even when trying, and then suddenly you sleep days away. Just when I think I've got you all figured out, you go ahead and change it up on me... you're so confusing, very confusing and contradictory Tohma." The brunette grumbled, grabbing a hold of Tohma's sleeve, where he proceeded to use it to drag the blonde down the street.

A small smile slipped onto Tohma's face.

"Well, keeps things interesting and fresh, no?" he laughed, making the brunette pout even more. "Let's move on to other subjects, shall we?" He asked.

Ryuichi nodded.

"Yup, let's get past the touchy subjects."

"Not quite yet, Ryuichi." Tohma paused, and even stopped walking again, despite Ryuichi's firm hold on his shirt sleeve.

Ryuichi frowned, and crossed his arms, turning to face the man once again.

"Aww, come on! What now? Can't we just... I don't know, go back home, watch TV, and dread Noriko's arrival in the morning? Please?" he pled, but Tohma did not back down.

"Afraid not. Look... You can't just go up to people and introduce yourself as someone you're not. There are legal issues with that. If we ever get signed, and Nittle Grasper becomes big, we can't have you prancing around using different names. It confuses people, and what you tend to tell people isn't what's listed on your I.D." He scoffed bluntly.

Ryuichi looked like a kicked puppy, and the blonde's stare softened.

"Look Ryu... if you truly hate that name that much, and prefer to be 'Ryuichi Sakuma' over Ryuichi Sanju, then so be it. Why not legally get your name changed and be done with it?" He asked.

Ryuichi blinked.

"You can do that sort of thing? Not just in movies?" His eyes shined, and Tohma could not resist a giggle.

"Yes, it's real... If you'd like, I could look into it for you, and when we can get everything settled, we'll go have it done, alright?" The blonde smiled, and Ryuichi couldn't help but grin.

"I can REALLY call myself what I want? I don't have to be Sanju anymore? Because you know I really, really hate that name, right?"

"Yes Ryu, I know you hate it. You can be Sakuma, Ryuichi for real. I'm sure your mother wouldn't want it any other way."

"Yay! Tohma, you're the greatest!" The brunette laughed, throwing his arms around the blonde.

Tohma sighed, and pried himself free of Ryuichi grasp, shaking his head.

"You're so excitable... but don't go jumping on people in public. It makes people stare."

Ryuichi only frowned.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two arrived home within a few minutes, the rest of the walk had been spent in awkward silence, and Ryuichi was feeling rather bad for having done so much in just a few short hours to irritate the blonde.

The awkwardness only seemed to get worse as they made it to their front door, when Tohma suddenly froze in the hallway, causing Ryuichi to knock into his back, not expecting the sudden stop.

"Ne? Tohma...what's that?" Ryuichi tensed, staring at the large box propped against the large wooden door.

Tohma said nothing, but a scowl made itself known on the blonde's face, and his slowly stepped towards it, brandishing his keys. With a few long swipes of the door's key, the box popped open, and Tohma let out a loud snarl.

"HE CANNOT BE SERIOUS!"

Ryuichi flinched, but dashed to the man's side, peering down into the box.

Papers.

Lots of them.

Different colors, different textures, drawings, numbers, packets and single sheets... and Ryuichi couldn't understand a damned thing on any of them.

"Tohma? What is all this?" He asked softly, setting a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Tohma stayed silent, taking in deep breaths as he attempted to get his rage under control. He squeezed his eyes shut, and counted slowly in his head, before reopening them.

"This, Ryuichi, is the work my father expects me to do. All of it. In one short weekend." Tohma twitched slightly, and managed a civil look as he glanced at Ryuichi. "Clearly, he's lost it, if he really thinks I'm going to do all of this…" he muttered, unlocking the door, and kicking the box of papers through the door.

Ryuichi watched as the box toppled over, and papers skidded out across the living room floor. He frowned, and carefully stacked them back up, turning towards the blonde.

"Well…if he's sent you these, doesn't that mean you're not fired?" He murmured.

Tohma shot him a hard look.

"Likely… but I told him I was done…" He grumbled, tossing his coat back up in the closet.

"But… shouldn't you do the work then, if he's giving you the chance to still do it? I mean… you were always so worried about keeping him happy, because you didn't want him to get angry and disown you, or cut your cash flow off. Stuff like that." He asked, tilting his head.

The corner of Tohma's eye twitched.

"Yes… I was, but-"

"Nuh, uh! Hush!" Ryuichi chuckled, holding a slim finger to his lips. "I think that you should just sit down, and calmly do the work. I've listened to you ramble on about how much work and school meant to you, even though it interfered with the band sometimes. I also know just how upset you were the last few days because of this whole situation. I don't like having to see you like this."

A small smile slipped onto the blonde's face, and Ryuichi beamed back at him.

"But… there's just so much of it! It shouldn't be my responsibility in the first place." He protested, collapsing down into the soft cushions of the plush couch.

Ryuichi smirked and nodded his head.

"Exactly. So… wouldn't you be proving that he's an ass if you get it all done in a timely matter?" He raised an eyebrow. "If you get it done, he can't say a damned thing, and then he'd have to leave you alone for a while. You'll get to be smug with him for a while. Isn't that alone worth it?"

Tohma sighed, but slowly nodded his head.

"Yes…but-"

"No buts!" The brunette hissed, scooting closer to Tohma. "Just do it, so you won't have to worry about it! You won't even get bored or lonely, because I'll sit right here with you and keep you company while you do it, even if it takes all day and night. I want you to be happy, and if it takes you doing boring paperwork, and me massaging your tired aching shoulders while doing so, then so be it. At least I get to be by your side, and you're not alone, or with people that are the farthest things from friends." He grinned, dragging the open box with him as he dropped onto the couch next to the blonde.

Tohma gave him a reluctant look and groaned.

"You're being serious…aren't you?"

"Totally." The brunette gave a quick nod.

Defeated, Tohma picked up the first few pages out of the box, and began to look them over. Pleased that he'd gotten his way, Ryuichi grinned smugly, and draped himself across the couch, and Tohma alike. After a few minutes of this, Tohma raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Are you sure that you just want to sit here and watch me read?" He asked, setting the papers on the coffee table momentarily.

Ryuichi only nodded, and curled even more tightly into the cushions.

"Well…could you do me a favor then, and turn the heat up, maybe even start a pot of tea?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They had stayed awake until 4:30 in the morning, but Tohma had managed to nearly complete the whole box that had been set to him. Much of it had been reading, some of which he was required to sign afterwards. Other bits had required Tohma to break out drafting supplies, and Ryuichi entertained himself by drawing, as the blonde himself did his own technical drawings. Regardless, most of it was done, so Tohma could now concentrate on other matters at hand….meaning the band.

When he'd woken in the morning, he'd showered, and started on breakfast, before Ryuichi even stirred. The brunette was far more used to having many undisturbed hours of sleep, and he'd been out cold once he'd actually gotten to sleep. Halfway through cooking, he'd called Noriko to tell he the practice would indeed be happening, and she'd been ecstatic. Once breakfast was done however, he'd nearly dragged Ryuichi out from underneath the covers before the man realized that there was food to be eaten.

It was nearly noon when Noriko finally arrived, and they'd set to work, running through 'Sleepless Beauty' and other songs they'd put together, finished, and in progress.

"I want to arrange our first concert, with the three of us." Tohma suddenly said, in the middle of Noriko's second time through her portion of 'Sleepless Beauty".

Ryuichi stared at him with wide eyes, and Noriko immediately stopped playing. Tohma watched the two carefully.

"So soon? You think that we're ready?" Noriko asked, resting her head on her hand, sprawled out across her synth.

Tohma gave a weak smile.

"No... not exactly... we'll have to practice our asses off, but it's time we did something productive outside of this stuffy apartment. We won't know that we're doing things right until we get out there and hear some feedback. Whether we're ready or not, it needs to happen soon." The blonde nodded thoughtfully.

Ryuichi grinned, and beamed at Noriko.

"I agree! It'll be nice to get out and see what people think of us so far, what do you say, Noriko?" Ryuichi smiled hopefully, and to his surprise, she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, definitely! I think getting out of here and playing for an actual audience will do us a whole lot of good. Tohma and I are used to jumping on stage together. But we've not figured out if all three of us together work well on stage together. We may have to adjust our normal routines to accommodate yours, or vice versa. It will be a great learning experience for us all." She laughed, grinning at the other two men.

Tohma smiled.

"It's settled then, we'll start planning for the first ever Nittle Grasper show, with Ryuichi as the lead." He nodded thoughtfully. "But where should we play?" He asked with a frown.

Noriko grimaced, and lay back on the wooden floor.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Ryuichi gave a small laugh.

"Isn't it obvious where we should play?" He smirked.

Tohma and Noriko only stared at him.

Clearly, it was only obvious for him…

"Well… if you have ideas, I'm sure we could all agree." Tohma smiled, propping his head up on a hand.

Ryuichi smiled, nodding to himself, confident with his decision.

"I'd like to play our first ever show where it means something." He said simply. "I'd like to play…where the two of first met." He said with finality.

"That's a great idea."

Both men turned towards Noriko with wide eyes.

"Nori?"

She grinned at the two.

To be honest, she was even surprised in herself for agreeing with the brunette so quickly.

"It will be easier for you to sing where you're familiar with the crowd and stage. Not only that, but it will probably do you two some good to play where you feel some connections. Besides, Tohma, Shinya, and I played there a few times during our days together, so we're ALL familiar with the turf. I say we do it."

Ryuichi beamed at her. Tohma smiled.

"I'm alright with it. I'll try and arrange it with the club owner, I'm sure that he can give us a night to ourselves. Besides…" He chuckled. "It might be good to let the bartender know both Ryu and I are alive…If I recall correctly, he seemed rather distressed with us, I remember that much…"

Ryuichi burst into hysterics, Noriko only shook her head.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After practice, Tohma retreated to the kitchen to make a few of his needed phone calls. Ryuichi stayed with Noriko in the living room, and he watched her slowly pack her things, a grin plastered across her face.

He could honestly say that he was far fonder of the girl when she was in a good mood, and if it took concert planning to get her in said good mood, then he'd make sure that in the future they ALWAYS had something planned if they could manage it.

"We need to throw a big party..." Noriko nodded to herself, packing the last of her things in her bag.

Ryuichi stared at her, cocking his head.

"Party? What for? To celebrate the concert?" he asked.

Noriko turned to him, and stared for a long moment.

"You don't know?" She asked, watching as Ryuichi shook his head. "Well, hell... Tohma's always been a modest one... He's not even reminded me, but I thought he'd have at least told you of all people…perhaps he didn't want to worry you about such trivial things?"

Ryuichi squirmed in his eat, causing Noriko to giggle.

She sighed, and sat down next to the other brunette.

"It's Tohma's birthday Sunday, silly. He'll be twenty." She grinned. "That's why, I think I'll need to set a party up. He deserves one after all this stress he's had the last few months."

Ryuichi slumped.

"He hadn't told me… now that I think about it, we've not exactly go onto those sorts of topics. I only knew how old he was…" He trailed off.

Noriko rolled her eyes.

"It's not that big of a deal. We're not ten; birthdays aren't exactly the talk of the household anymore. Leave it to me, I'll invite everyone we know, and we'll all have a good time. You'll get to meet the friends and family, and Shinya will even be there so you have someone familiar other than me and Tohma to talk to."

Ryuichi looked unsure.

"I… should have asked him when his birthday was…I can't even get him anything on such short notice…" he groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sure he won't mind Ryu… Tohma isn't a needy person."

Ryuichi only glared at her.

"That is NOT the point…" He grumbled.

Noriko sighed.

"Then why don't you nab the card he gave you, and go out and find something he'd really like?" She asked, but the man's glare only intensified.

"I'm not going to buy him something with his money, it's not right." He snapped at her.

"Well…" She began. " If you're THAT hell bent on doing things yourself…I COULD help you." She smirked.

Ryuichi eyed the girl carefully, and sighed, motioning for her to continue.

"What do you have in mind?"  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, here we go!

Hopefully the next chapter will appear soon, but we shall see.

I'm just glad I still got this chapter out on time for Tohma's 'birthday'.

Nice of Murakami to give everyone birthdays, eh?


End file.
